SCIENCE PROJECTS UPDATEJESSICA MACDONALD

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT

OUR OFFICE STAFF

Shannon Scott-Tibbetts, Director of Operations

Jessica MacDonald, Senior Research Assistant

Jade Petritchenko, Research Assistant

Thomas Baker, Ghost Gear Project Coordinator

OVERVIEW OF 2019 PROJECTS

Lobster Recruitment Index Project

ESFPA Research Strategy

At-sea sampling and v-notching

Nearshore Temperature Monitoring Program

WWF Bait Project

Sentinel Monitoring Program

Ghost Gear Project

LFA 36 Season Extension Data Collection

LOBSTER RECRUITMENT INDEX PROJECT

LFA’s 27-35

126 participants for the 2018/2019 year

Each participant fishes 2-5 science traps

Placed nearshore where smaller class sizes are observed

Lobsters caught are sexed and measured using FSRS gauge

Data recorded in a logbook and sent back to FSRS

Data entered for DFO to use in stock assessments

Minilog or TidbiT temperature gauge deployed to record

bottom temperatures

LOBSTER RECRUITMENT INDEX PROJECT

Fall 2018 Results

54 participants from LFAs 33-35

144 project traps were fished

3430 trap hauls

15448 lobsters measured

4.5 lobsters caught per trap haul

Spring 2019 Results

126 participants from LFAs 27-35

377 project traps were fished

12917 trap hauls

96764 lobsters measured

7.5 lobsters caught per trap haul

LOBSTER RECRUITMENT INDEX PROJECT

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20

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<51 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100 >100

Nu

mb

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of

lob

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/ 100 t

rap

hau

ls

Carapace Size (mm)

Catch Summary for LFA 33 Fall Season

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

LFA 33 Fall

2009: 2565 TH

2010: 2556 TH

2011: 2574 TH

2012: 2454 TH

2013: 2184 TH

2014: 2427 TH

2015: 2617 TH

2016: 2732 TH

2017: 2129 TH

2018: 2249 TH

LOBSTER RECRUITMENT INDEX PROJECT

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Average Bottom Temperature for LFA 33

Fall 2018 - Spring 2019

Ingomar Port Mouton St Margaret's Bay Sambro Liverpool/Lunenburg

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY-V-NOTCHING

Last year was the 20th season for v-notching

Released 490,663 pounds to date

FSRS technicians work to

Weigh, count, and measure lobsters to ensure they

are >110mm in carapace length

Ensure lobsters are healthy and of superior quality

V-notch and release

0

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Poss

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egg

s pro

duce

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fem

ale

Ave

rage

weig

ht

per

fem

ale r

ele

ased (

lbs)

Possible number of eggs released by size

Weight LFA 32

Weight LFA 31B

Eggs LFA 32

Eggs LFA 31B

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY-V-NOTCHING LFA 31B

LFA Harbour Pounds Released

Number

Released

Average

Weight per

Lobster

31B Charlos Cove 220 68 3.24

31B Coddles Harbour 440 143 3.08

31B Cole Harbour 277 101 2.74

31B Drumhead 440 151 2.91

31B Ecum Secum (LFA 31B) 550 174 3.16

31B Fishermen's Harbour 440 157 2.80

31B Isaac's Harbour 110 29 3.79

31B Larry's River 440 149 2.95

31B Liscomb 770 251 3.07

31B Marie Joseph 440 145 3.03

31B New Harbour 660 226 2.92

31B Port Bickerton 881 269 3.28

31B Port Felix 680 228 2.98

31B Sonora 550 171 3.22

31B Torbay 110 31 3.55

31B Wine Harbour 330 103 3.20

Total LFA 31B 7338 2396 3.06

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY-V-NOTCHING LFA 32

LFA HarbourLobster Released

(lbs)

Lobster Released

(number)

Average weight

per lobster

(lb/lobster)

32 Beaver Harbour 330 106 3.11

32 East Chezzetcook 440 139 3.17

32 Ecum Secum 2090 661 3.16

32 Harrigan Cove 440 148 2.97

32 Jeddore 2310 745 3.10

32 Little Harbour 990 299 3.31

32 Marie Joseph 495 169 2.93

32 Mitchell Bay 210 73 2.88

32 Murphy's Cove 1023 352 2.91

32 Mushaboom 1705 530 3.22

32 Musquodobiot Harbour 440 140 3.14

32 Owl's Head 990 335 2.96

32 Petpeswick 616 200 3.08

32 Port Dufferin 1100 331 3.32

32 Quoddy 330 104 3.17

32 Sober Island 660 214 3.08

32 Spry Bay 440 136 3.24

32 Three Fathom Harbour 935 304 3.08

32 Pleasant Harbour 110 33 3.33

32 Pope's Harbour 550 156 3.53

Total LFA 32 16204 5175 3.13

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY- AT-SEA SAMPLING LFA 31B

Location Date Lobsters

Sampled

V-Notched Traps Sampled Empty Traps Bycatch

Liscomb April 26 326 0 204 3 0

May 10 788 0 244 7 60

May 23 789 1 249 4 62

June 5 661 0 246 8 27

Marie Joseph May 4 870 1 251 3 33

May 24 953 6 248 2 32

May 30 583 1 247 23 9

June 12 350 6 137 3 4

Total 5320 15 1826 53 227

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY- AT-SEA SAMPLING LFA 32

Location Date Lobsters

Sampled

V-Notched Traps Sampled Empty Traps Bycatch

Owl’s Head May 4 319 0 224 51 42

May 13 421 1 248 53 36

May 29 605 4 248 41 9

June 11 431 2 226 44 16

Port Dufferin May 2 440 0 230 34 13

May 17 434 2 231 37 7

June 1 485 1 247 19 20

June 11 465 5 246 37 7

Tangier May 8 205 0 97 27 19

May 23 982 2 250 21 24

May 28 579 7 240 27 45

June 4 674 5 241 22 68

Three Fathom

Harbour

April 26 258 1 86 11 3

May 7 325 0 119 13 10

May 17 990 1 243 4 29

June 5 149 1 50 1 11

June 19 491 1 168 9 47

Total 8253 33 3394 451 406

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY- BYCATCH SUMMARY

1%

1%0%

0% 1% 1% 1%

3%

5%

8%

9%

29%

41%

Bycatch Abundance for LFA 31B

Redfish

Winter flounder

Snow crab

Sea urchins

Hermit crabs

Sea stars

Cunner

Atlantic cod

Toad crab

Jonah crab

Shorthorn sculpin

Whelks

0% 0% 0%0% 0% 1%

1%1%

1% 2%

2%

4%

4%

7%

11%

12%16%

36%

Bycatch Abundance for LFA 32

Red Hake

Yellowtail flounder

Striped Atlantic wolffish

Cunner

Green crab

Pollock

Winter flounder

Sea raven

Sea urchins

Hermit crabs

Sea stars

Toad crab

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY- BYCATCH SUMMARY

Sculpin Cod Cunner Jonah crab Rock crab Green crab Toad crab Snow crab

2014 6.22 1.33 0.56 1.11 10.89 4.56 7.89 1.67

2015 16.89 6.11 0.33 1 12.78 0.11 10.78 0

2016 18.6 4.1 1.4 5.8 23.2 13.3 2.9 0

2017 8.5 6.5 0.7 2.3 18.7 2.1 4.7 0.2

2018 12.06 3.31 1.63 13.25 28.88 1.25 1.44 0.25

2019 3.72 0.96 0.16 2.76 9.48 0.04 1.12 0.04

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Bycatch Abundance by Year for LFAs 31B and 32

ESFPA RESEARCH STRATEGY- TEMPERATURE MONITORING

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Average Temperature for ESFPA NSTM Moorings

Owl's Head Marie Joseph

NEARSHORE TEMPERATURE MONITORING PROGRAM

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NSTM 2018-2019 Northwest Cove

Gauge 1 Gague 2

NEARSHORE TEMPERATURE MONITORING PROGRAM

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NSTM 2018-2019 Camp Cove

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WWF BAIT PROJECT

Phase 2 of the WWF Bait Project

Following recommendations of the Atlantic Mackerel

Working Group and feedback from participants:

Moving to the Northern and Eastern Shores of Nova Scotia

Including crab fisheries

Continuing to conduct focus groups

SENTINEL MONITORING PROGRAM

Groundfish survey

Monitoring catch rates

4VsW on the Eastern Shore

Vessels set gear in 18 inshore (less than 50

fathoms) stations

Sampled September 28 – October 4, 2019

SENTINEL MONITORING PROGRAM

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Average Bottom Temperature Linear (Average Bottom Temperature)

GHOST GEAR PROJECT

Collecting local ecological knowledge through focus groups

where participants meet to answer questions relating to

quantifying, recovering, disposing, and reducing ghost gear

in Nova Scotia

23 participants from the lobster fishing industry in LFAs 32 & 33

Most common causes of gear loss were weather and vessel

strikes

Barriers to collecting lost gear include the inability to find it and

legislation preventing the possession of another fishers’ gear

on board

LFA 36 SEASON EXTENSION DATA COLLECTION

10-day season extension

Must implement a monitoring program

to show no harm to the stock

Spring 2019 season:

23 participants

We will be continuing on with this

program for the Spring 2020 season

38 participants

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Lobster Recruitment Index Project

ESFPA Research Strategy

At-sea sampling and v-notching

Sentinel Monitoring Program

Nearshore Temperature Monitoring Program

LFA 36 Season Extension Data Collection