American lobster

The stock status of American lobster in Newfoundland and Labrador is unknown relative to reference points. There is no concern for the biomass due to an increase in catch per unit effort (CPUE) but there is concern for fishing pressure due to a lack of larger lobsters in the population.Reference points are not available for this stock. Therefore, route 2 (data limited) scoring has been used. Four assessment areas have been defined and the stocks are assessed every 3 years (last assessed in 2021). The assessment areas are: Northeast (Lobster Fishery Areas (LFAs) 3 to 6), Avalon (LFAs 7 to 10), South Coast (LFAs 11 and 12), and West Coast (LFAs 13 and 14).Total reported landings of lobster in 2019 were at their highest level in a century (4,400 tonnes) which reflects an increasing trend in the South and West regions. CPUE has also steadily increased to recent highs in these areas (0.75 and 1.25, respectively). However, reported landings in the Northeast and Avalon regions remain near historic lows and CPUE in these areas remains unchanged at low levels (both approximately 0.25). As there has not been a reduction in CPUE, there is no concern for the biomass.Most size frequency distributions show a sharp drop at the minimum legal size and few lobsters are thought to survive to larger sizes. This suggests a higher level of fishing pressure. Therefore, there is concern for fishing pressure. American lobster has a moderate – high vulnerability to fishing pressure (0.46).The current stock assessment is limited to fishery-dependent data and would benefit from fishery-independent data.

There are trap limits and a minimum and maximum size limit in place, however, management would benefit from a better understanding of the stock and harvest control rules.Canadian lobster fisheries are managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Lobster stocks are assessed by 45 Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs). Effort was uncontrolled until 1976, at which point a limited-entry licensing policy was brought in, and trap numbers were regulated. Currently, there are 2450 licenses in Newfoundland and Labrador, each with a trap limit of 100-300 traps (depending on the LFA). Traps must also have vents to allow undersized lobsters to escape.There has previously been measures introduced to reduce trap limits, season lengths, and licenses, when deemed necessary by fishery managers. A Lobster Enterprise Retirement Program and the Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures have been implemented which have led to license and trap reductions, particularly in the South and West Coast regions. The implementation of the 1998-2022 DFO Integrated Fisheries Management Plan also led to a 25% reduction in licenses in the Newfoundland lobster fishery.The size of maturity in this area of female lobster is around 80.5mm - 81.5mm carapace length. The minimum landing size has been set above this at 82.5mm carapace length. There is also a maximum landing size in place of 127mm carapace length.V-notching of lobsters requires removing a V-shaped piece of exoskeleton from the uropod (inner tail flap) of female lobsters of reproductive size which are carrying eggs, then returning the lobster to the sea. This allows other fishermen to know not to land this lobster as it is reproducing. V-notching has been shown to be successful at protecting egg-bearing females from fishing mortality. In all four regions in Newfoundland and Labrador, the majority of large surviving lobsters in the population were v-notched females. However, v-notching in this area is voluntary and may have declined in recent years. There is a ban on landing any egg-bearing of v-notched lobsters.The North Atlantic right whale (NARW) is listed as Endangered under the Canadian federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). Canada has a suite of fisheries measures and initiatives in place in Atlantic Canada and Quebec to prevent entanglements. In 2019, new management measures to minimise the risk of interactions with North Atlantic right whale were announced. This includes adjusting the area closed to snow crab, lobster fisheries and all other non-tended fixed-gear fisheries to include the area where 90% of the North Atlantic Right Whale were sighted last year during the prime fishing season. If a North Atlantic Right Whale is seen in waters between the 10 and 20 fathom shallow water protocol lines, a temporary closure will occur and license holders will be required to move their fishing gear close to the coast. No surface floating rope attaching a trap to a primary buoy, or to another trap, is permitted after a trap has been set. All gear must be clearly identified and any lost gear must be reported within 72 hours of discovery. Since the management measures were introduced, there is not thought to be any reported North Atlantic Right Whales bycatch in Canadian waters.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, entanglement in vertical lines used in trap fishing gear is possibly leading to the decline of the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) in Atlantic Canada.In Canada, lobsters are caught in traps, and can be fished individually or as part of a fleet of up to several hundred pots, depending on the size of the boat and crew, and license restrictions. Pots are portable traps made of wood or steel wire and plastic. The lobster is baited into the initial part (the chamber) and moves into the secondary part (the parlour) where it becomes trapped.Habitat impacts from potting are low but can occur during deployment, soak time or hauling of the pot, impacting the benthic habitat and associated species through contact with the pot or end weight, or by scouring from ropes. Research that has taken place suggests that while some damage does occur to the sediment, it is unlikely to be significant unless potting intensity is high (defined as approximately 30 pots per 500 square metres). Most damage occurs where traps are set in rocky habitats that are home to corals, sponges, sea whips and other large emergent species. These habitats and species provide nursery areas, refuges from predators and habitat for the settlement of invertebrate spat.Pot fisheries tend to be highly selective as undersized animals can be returned to the sea alive and survival rates for non-target organisms are thought to be high. More than half of the bycatch caught are predicted to survive, although there is little available research to prove this. Measures to further reduce bycatch include the use of escape panels to allow undersize animals and bycatch to escape pots. In some circumstances, there can be instances of ghost fishing, when lost fishing gear continues to fish and can entangle a variety of species, but this can be minimised by using appropriate gear and release devices.Entanglement in vertical lines used in pot fishing gear is thought to be one of the main threats to the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW). NARW migrates annually from calving grounds in the southeastern U.S. to feeding grounds in Atlantic Canada, where it is most commonly found in the Gulf of St Lawrence. NARW have rarely been reported in the Newfoundland and Labrador region and in the East Cape Breton region, although there is a lack of observer coverage and they may be found in these areas in the future. Population estimates of NARW vary, and recent literature suggests that there were fewer than 350 in 2020, with fewer than 100 reproductive-age females. With so few breeding individuals, the death of a single animal from any cause could pose a threat to the continued existence of the species.More than 90% of NARW entanglements are not identifiable to gear. In 2017, 12 NARW mortalities were known to have occurred in Canadian waters (all in the Gulf of St Lawrence), with both entanglements and ship strikes identified to be causes for mortalities. Only one of the whales had gear present when examined. Rope strengths in the pot fishery have increased in recent decades due to manufacturing, which could reduce the ability to breakaway when entangled in gear.Since management measures were introduced in 2018, the number of NARW mortalities in Canadian waters is thought to have decreased. In 2018, no NARW mortalities were recorded in Canadian waters. In 2019, a total of 9 NARW were found dead in Canadian waters but the cause is unknown (necropsies attributed vessel strikes to 4 out of 5 whales that were examined). No mortalities have been reported for 2020 and 2021 however there has been one report in each of 2021 and 2022 of a NARW seen alive with gear entangled. Management targets in Canada are for zero NARW deaths and it is thought that the recent measures introduced have been effective in helping reach that target.