Movements of Tagged American Lobsters, Homarus americanus, off Southwestern Nova Scotia

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Campbell ◽  
Aivars B. Stasko
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Carapace Length ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Mature Adults ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Straight Line Distance ◽  
Long Distance Movement

A total of 4304 American lobsters (Homarus americanus) were tagged and released in inshore areas off southwestern Nova Scotia and on northwest Browns Bank during June–August 1975. Of the 424 lobsters recaptured within 5.4 yr of release, 385 had known recapture locations. For all release areas the average straight-line distance traveled by mature ([Formula: see text]carapace length) lobsters (15.6 km) was significantly greater than for immature (59–94 mm carapace length) lobsters (4.7 km). Most (69.3%) of the immature lobsters (N = 212) were recaptured less than 18.5 km (10 naut mi) from the release sites; for mature lobsters (N = 173) this percentage was 40.5%. Previous tagging studies off southwestern Nova Scotia revealed little evidence of long-distance movement; our study, however, shows that mature lobsters can move long distances. Many (19.7%) of the mature lobsters were recaptured more than 92.6 km (50 naut mi) from the release sites. The overall direction of travel was south, in both an east and west direction, with many lobsters moving greater than 50 km from coastal Nova Scotia and Browns Bank into the Gulf of Maine and to the slopes of the continental shelf. Thirteen lobsters moved from Browns Bank to inshore areas of southwestern Nova Scotia. The evidence of the long-distance interchange of a portion of the mature adults between southwestern Nova Scotia and the adjoining continental shelf suggests that lobsters in these areas could belong to a single stock.

Dispersal of American Lobsters, Homarus americanus, Tagged Off Southern Nova Scotia

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 1842-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Continental Slope ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
German Bank ◽  
Long Distance Movement

Of the 5281 American lobsters (Homarus americanus) tagged and released off McNutt Island, South Nova Scotia, during 1983–87, 15.8% were captured within 3 yr of release. Although most immature (99%) and mature (86%) lobsters were caught < 18.5 km from release, mature lobsters moved a greater mean distance (25.8 km) than immature lobsters (3.6 km). Of the lobsters that moved > 30 km eight moved south to the continental slope near Browns Bank and 11 moved west of Cape Sable to the inshore areas of southwestern Nova Scotia, the midshore area of German Bank and offshore to Browns Bank and Georges Bank. This and other studies of tagged lobsters indicate that there is some movement of lobsters east and west of the Cape Sable area, the southern tip of Nova Scotia, suggesting some mixing between lobster stocks off eastern Nova Scotia and southwestern Nova Scotia. The long distance movement and mixing of mature lobsters suggests that attempts to use tagging information in locating biological boundaries between lobster stocks in the Gulf of Maine, adjoining Continental Shelf, Scotian Shelf and inshore areas of southwestern Nova Scotia and southern end of eastern Nova Scotia may be a difficult task.

Herring Migrations in the Passamaquoddy Region

1958 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1329-1343 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. McKenzie ◽  
B. E. Skud
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Far East ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Total Length ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Passamaquoddy Bay ◽  
Straight Line Distance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time

From June 20 to November 21, 1957, 37,495 herring were tagged in the southern part of the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. These fish were immature and ranged in total length from 14.2 to 18.7 cm. and in age from 1 to 3 years. Recovery of 792 (2.1%) tagged individuals indicated that the herring moved in and out of Passamaquoddy Bay throughout the summer and early autumn. No interchange of herring took place between Passamaquoddy Bay and the coast of Maine or Nova Scotia. Herring moved into Passamaquoddy from as far south as Grand Manan Island and as far east as Point Lepreau. The greatest straight-line distance moved was 55 miles, the mean time before recapture was 12 days, and the longest time 82 days.

scholarly journals Movements of Atlantic halibut in the Gulf of Maine based on geolocation

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 2020-2032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Liu ◽  
Crista Bank ◽  
Michael Kersula ◽  
Geoffrey W Cowles ◽  
Douglas R Zemeckis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Seasonal Migration ◽  
Atlantic Halibut ◽  
Stock Structure ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Archival Tags ◽  
Straight Line Distance

Abstract Atlantic halibut are a “Species of Concern” in US waters and little is known about their movements and stock structure. Recent stock assessments drew attention to the paucity of information for assessing and managing this stock. To investigate movement patterns and stock structure, halibut were tagged off Massachusetts and Maine within US waters of the Gulf of Maine region using pop-up satellite archival tags and data storage tags. A hidden Markov model (HMM) geolocation method previously developed for other groundfish species was adapted to estimate the movement tracks of the tagged halibut (n = 25) based on the tag-recorded depth and temperature. Total distance travelled based on geolocation ranged from 36 to 1701 km, whereas straight line distance between tagging and end locations ranged from 0.4 to 440.7 km. Estimated movement rates varied between 2.7 and 10 km day−1. Two tagged halibut made long-distance movements to putative spawning habitat in the Northeast Channel off Georges Bank. Thirteen (13) out of 25 geolocated individuals were estimated to have reached Canadian waters. Geolocation results revealed home range, return movement, and seasonal migration movement patterns exhibited by the tagged halibut. The HMM geolocation method could be a useful tool in providing information on halibut movements that can inform stock assessment and management decisions.

Movements, Growth and Survival of Marked and Tagged Lobsters Liberated in Egmont Bay, Prince Edward Island

1963 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Wilder
Keyword(s):  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Carapace Length ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Length Growth ◽  
Growth Increments ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Straight Line Distance

The average straight line distance between release and recapture points of 253 tagged lobsters free 10 to 12 months was 7.3 nautical miles (13.5 km). Carapace-length growth increments per moult among 870 punch-marked lobsters recovered from the fishing grounds were independent of size and averaged 0.47 inches (11.9 mm) for males and 0.42 inches (10.7 mm) for females. Weight increments per moult varied from 4.0 to 7.5 ounces (113–213 g) for males and from 3.3 to 5.4 ounces (94–153 g) for females. Of the males, 17.8% moulted twice; of the females, 7.4%. Survival over a 10-month period was estimated to be 76.4%.

scholarly journals Long-distance movement by a great fruit-eating bat, Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818), in southeastern Brazil (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae): evidence for migration in Neotropical bats?

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ives Simões Arnone ◽  
Eleonora Trajano ◽  
Atenisi Pulchério-Leite ◽  
Fernando de Camargo Passos
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Neotropical Bats ◽  
Political Borders ◽  
Long Distance Movement ◽  
Migratory Movements ◽  
Artibeus Lituratus

In Brazil, bat migrations have been inferred based on seasonal variations in bat abundances observed for several species, probably as a result of variations in temperature and food availability. However, direct evidence of individual medium to long distance (> 10 km) movements, based on marked specimens, is restricted to large frugivorous bats, genus Artibeus (Phyllostomidae). We report the longest bat movement recorded in Brazil, along 113 km in a straight line, difference in altitude of 738 m, from a mixed Araucaria forest in Curitiba, PR, to the Atlantic Forest, Alto Ribeira, SP, by a female Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818), over a period of 14 months. This data is consistent with the occurrence of migratory movements in Neotropical bats, such as the ecologically flexible Artibeus spp., over relatively large areas, probably with short stopover foraging intervals. Implications for the conservation of these bats are clear, as their home ranges may be much larger than their foraging areas, encompassing more than one biome and overcoming political borders.

Herring Movements in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine, 1957 and 1958

1961 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. McKenzie ◽  
S. N. Tibbo
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Far East ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Tidal Power ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Apparent Relationship ◽  
Passamaquoddy Bay ◽  
Straight Line Distance ◽  
Surface Drift

During 1957 and 1958, 137,469 herring were tagged in the southern part of the Bay of Fundy and the western part of the Gulf of Maine. These fish were immature and ranged in mean total length from 9.9 to 20.0 cm and in age from 1 to 3 years. Recovery of 3,582 (2.6%) tagged individuals showed that herring moved in and out of Passamaquoddy Bay irregularly throughout the summer and autumn with some tendency to concentrate at the head of this bay. Outward movement reached a peak in July when there was a considerable movement eastward towards Point Lepreau. Herring moved into Passamaquoddy from as far south as Grand Manan and from as far east as Point Lepreau. Little interchange of herring took place between the Passamaquoddy area and the coasts of Maine and Nova Scotia. The greatest straight-line distance from release to recovery points was 55 miles. More than half of the recaptures were made within 2 miles of the tagging sites and nearly two-thirds within 5 miles. About 28% of the recaptures were made within 1 week after tagging and 63% within 2 weeks. The average time before recapture was 12 days in 1957 and 17 days in 1958. The longest time between release and recapture for both years was 165 days. Drift bottles released with tagged herring showed no apparent relationship between herring movements and surface drift. The results of tagging support a general conclusion that the proposed Passamaquoddy tidal power structures will have no significant effect on the herring fisheries of the Passamaquoddy area.

Genetic relationships among subpopulations of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) as revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 1762-1771 ◽  
Author(s):  
G C Harding ◽  
E L Kenchington ◽  
C J Bird ◽  
D S Pezzack ◽  
D C Landry
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Genetic Relationships ◽  
Random Amplified Polymorphic Dna ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
The Past ◽  
Significant Difference

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles were used in a preliminary investigation of the genetic relationships among American lobsters (Homarus americanus) from the ecologically disparate and geographically separate regions of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, a bay off southwestern Nova Scotia, and a deep-sea canyon off Georges Bank. Phenotypic analyses of the RAPD bands showed no significant difference between samples caught at these three geographic locations. Lobsters from the Gulf of Maine, collected inshore from Lobster Bay, Nova Scotia, and offshore from Georges Bank, were genetically the most similar (D = 0.002), whereas Gulf of St. Lawrence lobsters were about three times as genetically distant from these two subpopulations (D = 0.005-0.006). However, FST values at each RAPD band ranged from <0.000 to 0.073, indicating that lobsters at these three locations are not genetically isolated. The number of migrants needed to account for this observed level of genetic differentiation could be as few as five animals in each generation. The present findings should not have been surprising given the enormous potential for larval dispersal, the wide ranging movements of adult lobsters within each region, and the level of anthropogenic interference through both displacement of larvae and adults over the past century in the name of conservation, particularly adults released into the Gulf of Maine.

Volunteer-based monitoring of juvenile American lobster, Homarus americanus

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara L. Ellis ◽  
Diane F. Cowan
Keyword(s):  
Carapace Length ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Substrate Temperatures ◽  
Penobscot Bay

The primary objective of the Juvenile Lobster Monitoring Program is to develop a time series of abundance and distribution of juvenile American lobsters. Between 1997 and 2000, trained volunteers quadrat sampled 1-m2 quadrats along fixed 20-m transects monthly from May through October at 24 intertidal sites in the Gulf of Maine. Lobster carapace length ranged from 4 to 82 mm (34.6 0.26 mm, n = 1874). Monthly densities of early benthic phase (≤40 mm CL, EBP) lobsters ranged from 0 to 1.50 lobsters/m2 (0.31 0.010 lobsters/m2, n = 1417). Peak EBP densities coincided with peak substrate temperatures recorded in situ at low tide. Interregionally, EBP density was highest in Massachusetts and lowest in Penobscot Bay, corresponding with relative regional substrate temperatures. Mean lobster carapace length was greater, and EBP density lower, in eelgrass than in rocky habitat. In a 1999 bay-wide survey of Penobscot Bay, Maine, lobsters were detected in outer, but not inner, regions. A strong correlation between abundances at intertidal and subtidal sites (r = 0.86, P< 0.001, n= 17) indicates similar patterns of abundance in the two zones. A volunteer work-force allows cost-effective long-term research on juvenile lobsters over a wide geographical area.

Dispersal of Homarus americanus Larvae in the Gulf of Maine from Browns Bank

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth C. Harding ◽  
Ronald W. Trites
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Seasonal Migration ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Larval Recruitment ◽  
Surface Drifter ◽  
Planktotrophic Larvae

Studies of larval lobster (Homarus americanus) distribution off southwestern Nova Scotia during the summers of 1977 and 1978, were used to estimate an average larval recruitment or production of 1918 and 5284 stage IV lobsters per square kilometre per year inshore and offshore, respectively. Results indicate that the offshore may contribute up to 97% of the larval recruits for the entire southwestern Nova Scotia region. Current patterns and velocities of 3–16 cm∙s−1 were estimated from surface drifter returns within the Gulf of Maine. Limits of larval dispersion are estimated from surface currents in the region and the physiological and ecological traits of the larval lobster. Offshore lobsters could make an important contribution to recruitment not only off southwestern Nova Scotia but in the entire eastern sector of the Gulf of Maine to Casco Bay. Larval dispersal provides another line of evidence that the Gulf of Maine area represents one lobster recruitment center. Our results are consistent with the idea that ontogenic seasonal migration of female lobsters has evolved to locate planktotrophic larvae in warmer shoal areas where growth and survival is optimal and from which ocean currents subsequently disperse a large portion of these larvae to settle over highly productive juvenile grounds.

Factors Influencing the Size of American Lobster (Homarus americanus) Stocks Along the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Gulf of Maine: A New Synthesis

1983 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth C. Harding ◽  
Ken F. Drinkwater ◽  
W. Peter Vass
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
American Lobster ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Larval Recruitment ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Recruitment Failure

The general aspects of fluctuating American lobster (Homarus americanus) stocks are considered in an attempt to identify common principles controlling lobster populations in the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Inshore fishing mortality is known to be precariously high in both Canadian and American waters yet only in the central Northumberland Strait region and along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia are stocks experiencing steep declines. Existing regulations allow fishing of lobsters well below the size at which maturity can be expressed. In western and central Northumberland Strait female lobsters are not protected by the 'berried' law because of the timing of the fishing season. Climatic change, expressed as sea-surface temperature, is closely associated with the success of lobster recruitment in the Gulf of Maine, but nowhere else. Huntsman's hypothesis that warm surface water of sufficient duration is essential for the successful completion of the larval stages of the lobster is found to have wide application. Warmer waters are also found to have a preponderance of plankton in the size categories required for feeding by the first two larval stages. Both the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the southwestern Gulf of Maine, including Georges Bank, are believed to be prolific nursery grounds for the early larval lobsters because warm water with plenty of food stimulates rapid development and settling. We calculated that larvae released on Georges Bank supply recruits to southern Nova Scotia, Bay of Fundy, and Maine, whereas some larvae from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence are thought to settle as far as Cape Breton Co., N.S., and before the closure of the Strait of Canso, Guysborough Co., N.S. The past importance of lobster recruitment to the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia through the Strait of Canso is estimated to have been as high as 60% of the average landings in Chedabucto Bay during the 11 best years of this fishery. The failure of the Atlantic coast lobster fishery off Nova Scotia is believed to have been initiated by a larval recruitment failure caused by the synchronous closure of the Strait of Canso and the start of a general climatic cooling. Possibly a critical temperature was reached along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia in the 1950s below which larval survival is much reduced by the shortened season. Reduced lobster abundance along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia may have contributed to the imbalance in the benthic ecosystem in which an uncontrolled urchin population consumed the kelp beds and until recently greatly reduced the primary production input to the system.Key words: American lobster, Homarus americanus; stocks, recruitment, ecology, larval transport

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