December 23, 2009
Lobster Fishing Areas across Atlantic Canada have been given the following criteria for LFA wide sustainability plans. These criteria will need to be followed if an LFA is seeking funding. A direct link to the DFO website, click here: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/fish-ren-peche/lobster-homard/cmalf-evaluation-mcpha-eng.htm
Conservation Measures for Atlantic Lobster Fisheries
| Guidelines for eligibility recommendations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainability Requirement | Indicator/ standard |
Rationale | Available measures[1] | Meets | Exceeds |
| 1. Improved Prospects for biological productivity as defined by: Sufficient egg production to protect recruitment potential. |
Minimum Size at or above size where female maturity = 50%; or equivalent | - Required by DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework; - FRCC recommendation 2007; - Helps address eco-certification [2]. |
- Minimum legal size. - Maximum legal size. - Window size. - Substantial[3] effort reduction. - Refugia[4]. |
Substantial progress[7] toward standard by March 31, 2014 | Meets or exceeds standard by March 31, 2014 |
| --- OR --- | |||||
| PA framework developed and in use | - Required by DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework; - Helps address eco-certification[2]. |
- PA framework development process with Department | Commitment to put in use by March 31, 2012 | In place at time of Sustainability Plan evaluation | |
| 2. Reliable reporting as defined by: Independently verifiable information to support management and science processes. |
Reliable catch and effort information[6] | - Required by DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework; - FRCC recommendation 2007; - Helps address eco-certification[2] . |
- Catch and effort data submitted in standard format to DFO electronically. - Dockside monitoring. |
100% catch and effort data without independently verifiable monitoring already met or scheduled[5] to be met by March 31, 2012 | Reliable[6], 100% catch and effort data (based on definition) already met or scheduled[5] changes will be met by March 31, 2012 |
| 3. Reduced ecosystem impacts as defined by: Monitoring and minimized impact of lobster fishing activities on ecosystem. |
Effective measures in place to: - reduce ghost fishing, - reduce entanglements, - record bycatches. |
- Required by DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework. - Helps address eco-certification[2]. |
- All traps used have effective biodegradable trap elements; - No lost tag replacement permitted in season; -Quick-release mechanisms and anti-entanglement protocol in place; - Monitoring of the number of gear lost; - Monitoring of bycatch and species at risk. |
Meets 1 of the 3 indicators with reliable6 monitoring met by March 31, 2012 | Meet 2 or more of the 3 indicators with reliable[6] monitoring met by March 31, 2012 |
Table notes:
[1] Other measures may be suggested and will be considered to the extent they can be evaluated.
[2] This is not definitive as compliance with eco-certification standard is assessed by third party certifying bodies.
[3] Recognizing the difficulty to quantify precisely the impact of an effort reduction on the exploitation rate, the reduction in effort must be important enough to represent a real benefit in terms of conservation (a minimum of 25% of trap hauls or trap reductions).
[4] Refugia may be proposed; however, these will be evaluated for their long term contribution to increased egg production.
[5] Under this element, changes must be scheduled to take effect in a progressive and orderly manner.
[6] A reliable level of reporting or monitoring is comprehensive enough at the scale of the LFA to ensure a good tracking of the fishery and of the status of the resource. To be reliable, it must be, verifiable, independent and timely.
[7] Progress: scheduled[5] changes to close the distance to the egg production standard by at least half will be met by March 31, 2014.
| Rating | |
|---|---|
| Exceeds | If Plan reaches this level in each of the three Sustainability Requirements |
| Meets | If Plan reaches this level in each of the three Sustainability Requirements |
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