Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

LOBSTER POST-LARVAL COLLECTORS PROJECT 2009

~ June, 2009 ~

For many years, PEI Fishermen have assisted in gathering info on lobsters collected in their traps during the season including those from 60mm size ranges and up. But what about ‘baby’ lobster more formally known as post-larval lobster that settle on the bottom after hatching? The Post-Larval Lobster Collectors Project aims to begin collecting info on small lobster from post larval stages to juveniles in a given area. Fishermen in the US along with the Science community came up with this idea several years ago and fishermen from many provinces in Canada are now participating. The idea is simple: create a small habitat (collector cage full of rock cobble and gravel) that mimics habitat that post larval lobster will settle in and thus develop an index of number of lobster per collector. Each year, info is added and fishermen are eager to see what the collectors hold and perhaps even a glimpse at what the future may hold.

Last year’s pilot project of two sites (Covehead and Bedeque Bay) have been expanded to include tentatively six sites (one site per local) across PEI. Both DFO Science and PEI DFAR&D have assisted in coordinating this project along with Island fishermen. The numbers of post larval and juvenile lobster in each collector will be recorded each year as well as the temperature data for that site. Local fishing associations will be provided with the results as soon as they are available.

The following are a list of tentative sites (please note that not all have been confirmed):

1) Alberton (WGFA)

2) Covehead (NSFA)

3) Skinner’s Pond (PCFA)

4) Fortune (EKFA)

5) Murray Harbour (SKQFA)

6) Nine Mile Creek (CNSFA)

BACKGROUND:

Passive post-larval collectors consist of a wire mesh tray and cover lined on the floor and walls with finer mesh and filled with cobble. These collectors sample both the postlarval lobster settling from plankton, as well as the older small juveniles moving in from the surrounding sea bed. The collectors utilize standard lobster fishing gear making it a relatively practical and inexpensive tool.

Collectors are 200-250 lbs each and will be set in approximately 30 feet of water end of June or first of July before the Stage 4s settle on the bottom and they will be retrieved in the fall. The collectors have proven to be a useful to study lobster post larval settlement and can be used as a tool for analyzing recruitment along with current at-sea sampling and experimental (blocked escape mechanism) trap data. The collectors also catch a wide variety of other species and may be a possible tool for biodiversity research.

Collectors were first deployed in New England several years ago and have since been used in waters from the US up to Newfoundland to track the trends in young of year lobster in a given area. It is also the result of a fisherman and scientist collaboration.

A pilot project on PEI began in 2008 with two sites in Covehead and Bedeque Bay. Last year, the PEIFA Board of Directors approved that other sites be incorporated however time and funding limited the number of sites that were feasible at the time. Now, there has been success in garnering possibly 6 sites for collectors around PEI. DFO Science has secured funding for the construction of cages and transport to PEI for approximately 180 cages (6 sites at 30 cages per site).

In each site, there will be 30 collector cages placed on the bottom in approx 30 feet of water. They will have a buoy and rope attached to each collector and are all set in one small, general area. They will remain in the water from July through to October. In the fall, the number of post larval and juveniles will be counted and an index created for each site. Temperature data will also be included and distributed to local fishing associations on PEI.

For more information on this project please contact Laura at 566-4050 or researchpeifa@pei.eastlink.ca