Effectiveness of Harvest Control Rules in Managing American Lobster Fishery in the Gulf of Maine

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 984-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuying Zhang ◽  
Yong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
American Lobster ◽  
Control Rules ◽  
Lobster Fishery ◽  
Harvest Control Rules

scholarly journals Developing and evaluating harvest control rules with different biological reference points for the American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery in the Gulf of Maine

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 1511-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuying Zhang ◽  
Yong Chen ◽  
Carl Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
American Lobster ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Control Rules ◽  
The Status ◽  
Harvest Control Rules

Abstract Zhang, Y., Chen, Y., and Wilson, C. 2011. Developing and evaluating harvest control rules with different biological reference points for the American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery in the Gulf of Maine. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 1511–1524. The American lobster (Homarus americanus) supports one of the most valuable commercial fisheries in the United States. Controversy exists, however, in terms of the biological reference point (BRP) used in assessing lobster stock status, and there is no fully established or evaluated harvest control rule (HCR). A sex-specific, size-dependent operating model is developed to evaluate the performance of two HCRs, discrete and continuous, which adjust annual fishing mortality discretely and linearly, respectively, based on the status of the fishery. For each HCR, different BRPs are considered along with management duration, recruitment dynamics, and natural mortality. HCRs with a suitable set of BRPs can drive the fishery from an undesirable status to an optimal status. The continuous HCR tends to perform better than the discrete one. The Ftarget of 0.31 year−1 showed the best performance in the long term by balancing the needs of the fishing industry and conservation bodies. However, this was not the case in the short term. An Ntarget of 49.6 million would allow the American lobster to be maintained at its current stock level, with high recruitment and stable natural mortality. The study provides a framework for a systematic evaluation of management regulations for the American lobster.

scholarly journals Evaluating benthic impact of the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery using the swept area seabed impact (SASI) model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G Goode ◽  
Jonathan H Grabowski ◽  
Damian C. Brady
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
American Lobster ◽  
Fishing Gear ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Small Footprint ◽  
Lobster Fishery ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Swept Area

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act mandates U.S. fisheries minimize adverse effects of fishing on essential fish habitat (EFH). The Gulf of Maine (GoM) American lobster fishery is the most valuable U.S. fishery, and can deploy more than three million traps annually. To date, the impact of this fishery on benthic EFH has not been addressed quantitatively. To evaluate the impact of the GoM lobster fishery on EFH, lobster fishing effort was incorporated into a model linking habitat susceptibility and recovery to area impacted by fishing gear; the Swept Area Seabed Impact model. Impact to EFH was localized along the coast and highest along mid-coast Maine. Upwards of 13% of the benthos is in the process of recovery, but between 99.92 – 99.96% of initially affected habitat fully recovers. These estimates suggest that lobster fishing negligibly contributes to accumulation of EFH damage in the GoM due to the expansive area fished and the small footprint of each trap. Identifying areas of persistent impact is crucial in developing effective fisheries management for critical marine habitats.

A simulation study to evaluate impacts of uncertainty on the assessment of American lobster fishery in the Gulf of Maine

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 1394-1403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Chen ◽  
Carl Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Level ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
American Lobster ◽  
Large Uncertainty ◽  
Decision Confidence ◽  
The Status ◽  
Status Assessment ◽  
Lobster Fishery ◽  
Risk Managers

The status of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) has been assessed for the last two decades by comparing an estimated current fishing mortality rate for females (Fcur) with a deterministically estimated biological reference point, F10%. The most recent assessment determined that GOM had exceeded the F10% for every year calculated, although in this time landings and abundance have doubled. The current policy does not consider uncertainty in the assessment. This study evaluates the impacts of uncertainty in F10% and Fcur on the status assessment of lobster fishery. Using a Monte Carlo simulation approach, we found that the status assessment would be influenced by uncertainties in estimating F10% and Fcur, and by the choice of decision confidence level reflecting the level of risk managers would like to take. A large uncertainty in Fcur and F10% and a high decision confidence level reduce the likelihood of defining the stock as overfished, and vice versa. Our results suggest that the probability of lobster overfishing may be less than previously thought, and that uncertainty in Fcur and F10% should be quantified and considered in determining the status of the GOM lobster stock.

scholarly journals Climate vulnerability and resilience in the most valuable North American fishery

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (8) ◽  
pp. 1831-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnault Le Bris ◽  
Katherine E. Mills ◽  
Richard A. Wahle ◽  
Yong Chen ◽  
Michael A. Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Population Projections ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
American Lobster ◽  
Fishery Resource ◽  
Recruitment Failure ◽  
Lobster Fishery

Managing natural resources in an era of increasing climate impacts requires accounting for the synergistic effects of climate, ecosystem changes, and harvesting on resource productivity. Coincident with recent exceptional warming of the northwest Atlantic Ocean and removal of large predatory fish, the American lobster has become the most valuable fishery resource in North America. Using a model that links ocean temperature, predator density, and fishing to population productivity, we show that harvester-driven conservation efforts to protect large lobsters prepared the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery to capitalize on favorable ecosystem conditions, resulting in the record-breaking landings recently observed in the region. In contrast, in the warmer southern New England region, the absence of similar conservation efforts precipitated warming-induced recruitment failure that led to the collapse of the fishery. Population projections under expected warming suggest that the American lobster fishery is vulnerable to future temperature increases, but continued efforts to preserve the stock's reproductive potential can dampen the negative impacts of warming. This study demonstrates that, even though global climate change is severely impacting marine ecosystems, widely adopted, proactive conservation measures can increase the resilience of commercial fisheries to climate change.

Predicting bycatch hotspots based on suitable habitat derived from fishery-independent data

2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. 159-175
Author(s):  
J Runnebaum ◽  
KR Tanaka ◽  
L Guan ◽  
J Cao ◽  
L O’Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
American Lobster ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Suitability Index

Bycatch remains a global problem in managing sustainable fisheries. A critical aspect of management is understanding the timing and spatial extent of bycatch. Fisheries management often relies on observed bycatch data, which are not always available due to a lack of reporting or observer coverage. Alternatively, analyzing the overlap in suitable habitat for the target and non-target species can provide a spatial management tool to understand where bycatch interactions are likely to occur. Potential bycatch hotspots based on suitable habitat were predicted for cusk Brosme brosme incidentally caught in the Gulf of Maine American lobster Homarus americanus fishery. Data from multiple fisheries-independent surveys were combined in a delta-generalized linear mixed model to generate spatially explicit density estimates for use in an independent habitat suitability index. The habitat suitability indices for American lobster and cusk were then compared to predict potential bycatch hotspot locations. Suitable habitat for American lobster has increased between 1980 and 2013 while suitable habitat for cusk decreased throughout most of the Gulf of Maine, except for Georges Basin and the Great South Channel. The proportion of overlap in suitable habitat varied interannually but decreased slightly in the spring and remained relatively stable in the fall over the time series. As Gulf of Maine temperatures continue to increase, the interactions between American lobster and cusk are predicted to decline as cusk habitat continues to constrict. This framework can contribute to fisheries managers’ understanding of changes in habitat overlap as climate conditions continue to change and alter where bycatch interactions could occur.

Evolution of a co-management arrangement in Japanese offshore fisheries: current policy and legal framework and a case study of the tiger puffer fishery in Ise–Mikawa Bay

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1567-1580
Author(s):  
Kanae Tokunaga ◽  
Tsutom Miyata ◽  
Hiroki Wakamatsu
Keyword(s):  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Coastal Fisheries ◽  
Control Rules ◽  
Community Boundaries ◽  
Tiger Puffer ◽  
Harvest Control Rules

Abstract This study examines Japanese offshore fisheries management by focusing on the possibilities and challenges in implementing co-management of fisheries. Offshore fisheries, characterized by a lack of clear geographical boundaries in fishing grounds and community boundaries in fishery participants, face different challenges than coastal fisheries that are managed by territorial use rights and fisheries cooperative associations. This study examines the current policy and legal framework in offshore fisheries management in Japan and uses a case study of the tiger puffer fishery in Ise–Mikawa Bay to investigate interactions among multiple fishing entities as well as interactions between resource harvesters and managers. We argue that increased participation of both national and prefectural governments in fisheries management contributes to strengthen co-management: yet, a lack of science-based harvest control rules hinders the biological and economic benefits from accruing to the fishery.

Estimating the Discard Mortality of Atlantic Cod in the Southern Gulf of Maine Commercial Lobster Fishery

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1252-1262
Author(s):  
B. B. Sweezey ◽  
C. W. Capizzano ◽  
J .A. Langan ◽  
H. P. Benoît ◽  
E. W. Hutchins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Discard Mortality ◽  
Lobster Fishery
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