PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 27: Marine Populations Under Harvest
Monday, August 8, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 519 A, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Interactions among herring and lobster fisheries in the Gulf of Maine.
Grabowski, Jonathan*,1, Clesceri, Erika2, Baukus, Adam3, Gaudette, Julien1, Yund, Philip4, 1 Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland, ME, USA2 USA International Development, Washington, D.C., USA3 University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA4 University of New England, Biddeford, ME, USA
ABSTRACT- Extensive fishing has resulted in the depletion of over two-thirds of the world's fishery resources, with dramatic consequences for food web dynamics. Scientists and managers have predicted the collapse of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery since the beginning of the 20th century; however, lobster landings throughout the Northwest Atlantic have increased over the past decade. One compelling hypothesis that has yet to be adequately tested suggests that human augmentation of lobster diets via the annual use of approximately 60,000 MT of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) bait may explain recent increases in lobster landings. Initial findings in 2002 from mid-coast Maine indicated that use of herring bait significantly subsidizes juvenile lobster diets, thereby potentially enhancing lobster growth and the overall economic value and yield of the fishery. In 2004, lobster growth and diet was compared in fished vs. seasonally closed areas of mid and eastern portions of Coastal Maine and New Brunswick, Canada to further determine if herring bait is augmenting lobster populations throughout the Gulf of Maine.
Key words: Food Limitation, Fisheries Production, Fish Ecology, Ecosystem Management