Examining the local lobster (Homarus americanus) stock of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland : utilizing an interdisciplinary approach

Rogers, Kara Lynn (2010) Examining the local lobster (Homarus americanus) stock of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland : utilizing an interdisciplinary approach. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (20MB)

Abstract

Over the past two decades, fisheries of Atlantic Canada, in particular those Newfoundland have experienced massive collapses and changes. Micro-scale reconstruction of the development of the Bonne Bay and West Coast fisheries overall decline in landings, changes in the species composition of landings, declines the size of organisms landed, and increases in fishing efficiency over the past As these fisheries developed, changes in the target species and landings composition reveal a shift in the trophic composition away from taxa at high trophic levels, such and salmon, to lower trophic level taxa including herring, capelin and mackerel, was a major decline in Catch per Unit of Effort (CPUE) for lobster and some other species despite increased efficiency. In recent years, with no alternatives, the fishers Bonne Bay increased effort within the lobster fishery. Fishers who had not pursued the fishery or who had not fished to their limit were now doing so. These changes led to unprecedented pressure on the lobster stock. The reconstruction followed by a scientific examination of lobsters located in Bonne Bay, Although lobsters that inhabit cold-water environments (i.e. Northwest Atlantic) sexually mature at larger sizes, increasing fishing pressure makes it more difficult lobsters to survive to maturity and reproduce before being harvested. A study of effect of changes in the fishery on the size of lobsters in Bonne Bay was completed in summer of 2002 utilizing Carapace Length (CL) measurements. Statistical analysis CL measurements found that the CL of lobsters differed significantly in response to depth and location. Males were statistically larger than females, with 75.2% of below the Minimum Legal Size (MLS - a CL of 82.5mm or greater), while 57.3% of males measured greater then the MLS. Lobsters from deeper inshore waters of Bay were significantly larger than those found in shallow inshore waters. It was that the carapace length of lobsters was significantly linked to the location. The however, failed to find a significant interaction between either explanatory variable (depth, sex, or location) in relation to carapace length (response variable).

Actions (login required)

View Item