Eastport Peninsula Lobster Protection Project

1. Eastport Peninsula Lobster Protection Project A Grassroots Approach to Sustainable Development

2. Eastport Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador • The Eastport Peninsula is located on the Northeast coast of the province, about three hours drive from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

3. Eastport Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador • Waters surrounding the Eastport Peninsula are host to a wide range of: • Ground fish • Pelagic fish • Shellfish • Marine mammals, and • Aquatic plants

4. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • In July 1992, people in the fishing industry were advised that there was a moratorium on the fishing of cod in the province.

5. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • For many fishers, cod was an important source of income, but not necessarily the only species that they caught.

6. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • The other species now became much more important to them because it meant that they could continue to provide for their families.

7. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • A number of fishers on the Eastport Peninsula had fished for lobster. During the 1990's, the lobster fishery became extremely important for them.

8. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • A number of fishers from across the province had recognized the problems with the cod fishery even before scientists and politicians had arrived at their conclusions in 1992.

9. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • The fishers of the Eastport Peninsula had learned from the lessons with the cod fishery. • Something had to be done to ensure that the same thing didn’t happen with the lobster stocks. • A number of significant observations were made during the 1990's which led them to action.

10. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • These included: • Egg-bearing females were the future stocks of lobster.

11. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • Small lobsters would create more revenue if they were allowed to grow to maturity.

12. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • There was illegal harvesting of lobsters by non-fishers, including: • Scuba Divers • Recreational Boaters • Cabin Owners • Coastal Residents

13. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • There was illegal harvesting of lobsters by fishers, including: • Fishermen without lobster licenses. • Licensed lobster fishermen: • Removal of undersized lobsters; • Removal of egg-bearing females; • Use of extra traps beyond the legal limit; • Fishing out of season.

14. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • Some of these harmful activities had been carried out for a long time. • It would be hard to change the practices of some people.

15. The Need for the Lobster Initiative • The support of fishers and the community would be needed: • to prevent a major decline in the lobster stocks, and • to assist the stock in growing to a level which would sustain a profitable fishery for many years to come.

16. The Strategy • Once a significant number of fishers realized that action was necessary to protect the area’s lobster fishery, they sought the help of fisheries scientists with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

17. The Strategy • The fishers knew what they wanted to do, but needed advice on how to achieve it. • Fortunately, they got the support and involvement of Dr. Gerry Ennis, a DFO scientist who recognized their determination.

18. The Strategy • Dr. Ennis suggested some things that the fishermen could do to accomplish the goals that they wanted to achieve.

19. The Strategy • Some of the suggestions included: • Mark egg-bearing females by v-notching. • No Egg-bearing females and/or v-notched lobsters would be taken. • Minimum carapace size would be increased from 81 mm to 82 mm. • Detailed log books would be kept.

20. The Scientific Research • The scientific research to be carried out along with the measures to be used by the fishers was extremely important: • lobster fishers were being asked to throw back lobsters that they might have otherwise kept - and that represented income. • they needed to be reassured that these measures would have a positive impact on future landings.

21. The Scientific Research • The scientific data from the research component would be helpful to these fishers and to others in the province and the Atlantic region. • It would help them recognize the benefits of the proposed lobster protection measures.

22. The Eastport Peninsula Lobster Protection Committee - EPLPC • The Eastport Peninsula Lobster Protection Committee (EPLPC) was formed in 1995 by fishers on the Eastport Peninsula of northeastern Newfoundland, Canada, to address concerns about harvest declines in the lobster fishery.

23. The Eastport Peninsula Lobster Protection Committee - EPLPC • About the EPLPC: • Unanimous support by license holders. • Elected representatives from each of the 7 communities on the Eastport Peninsula. • “Fishermen watching Fishermen” – a self-policing set-up. • Initiated prior to the 1995 lobster fishing season.

24. The Eastport Peninsula Lobster Protection Committee - EPLPC • The rules weren’t imposed by DFO. • Fishers themselves helped to create the rules so as to secure the supply of lobsters for themselves and their descendants who wanted to pursue this fishery.

25. The Eastport Peninsula Lobster Protection Committee - EPLPC • Initially the EPLPC reduced sources of illegal lobster harvesting including: • harvesting of undersized animals and egg-bearing females, • extra traps beyond the legal limit, out of season fishing, and • poaching by licensed fishers and members of the local community.

26. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • In 1996, the EPLPC began a voluntary v-notching program: • Female egg-bearing lobsters are marked by creating a v-notch at the end of their tail and released. • By making this possession of such breeding females illegal, the EPLPC sought to enhance egg production. • From 1996 to 2000, more than 4000 lobsters have been marked and released.

27. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • Fishers voluntarily keep detailed log books which record information about: • the number of egg-bearing females; • v-notched females and undersized lobsters which are captured and released; and • details about the location where the lobsters were captured.

28. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • Information is also gathered from tagged lobsters which meet the legal requirements and the additional voluntary requirements adopted by the Eastport fishers.

29. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • This information gives scientists and fishers important information about the migratory patterns of lobsters.

30. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • In 1997, following these successes, the EPLPC entered into a Memorandum Of Agreement with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to establish a special lobster management area.

31. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • This area consisted of two zones: • inner zone: fishers from the Eastport Peninsula were allowed to fish, and • overlap zone: fishers from Eastport and fishers who traditionally fished in these areas would share the lobster resource.

32. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • Fishers from Eastport were not permitted to fish beyond the overlap zone, and fishers from elsewhere were not permitted to fish the inner zone.

33. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • In addition, within the inner zone the EPLPC/DFO established two fishing Closed Areas (CAs).

34. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • The objective of the CAs was to enhance egg production by protecting the lobster resource therein.

35. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • Field studies conducted in these CAs have: • provided a baseline to assess future changes in population size and structure, and • shown an increase proportion of berried females within CAs.

36. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • As well, these studies will determine: • the capacity of CAs to increase egg proportion and juvenile survival, and • whether they act as sources of new lobsters for nearby fished areas through natural emigration.

37. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • Information from detailed fisher log books and the field program was compiled and analyzed by: • students at high school in Eastport; • the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; • Parks Canada; and • Memorial University.

38. A Plan for Responsible Fishing • This initiative will likely foster community and stakeholder participation in ongoing fishery monitoring and management in lobster fisheries elsewhere, and perhaps for other commercial species.

39. Some Scientific Evidence • How far do lobsters travel? • Tagging studies have been done at various place in Newfoundland to determine the extent of lobster movements. • Results have shown that the shape of the coastline and adjacent bottom have a significant effect on the movement of lobsters in a given area.

40. Some Scientific Evidence • St. Chad’s area of Bonavista Bay: • very irregular coast with many steep headlands. • lobster grounds are a very narrow band of rocky bottom that slopes very steeply from the shore. • on average, tagged lobsters at large for about one year at St. Chad’s were recaptured 0.4 km from where they had been initially caught and tagged. • over 50% were captured in the immediate vicinity; about 90% of the remainder had moved less than 1 km. The greatest distance recorded was 2.8 km.

41. Some Scientific Evidence • Bellburns area of the northern peninsula: • coast is nearly straight and the lobster grounds are a wide band of rocky bottom that slopes gently from the shore. • Here the average distance after one year at large was 2.5 km; 39% were recaptured in the immediate vicinity and 20% of the remainder had moved no more than 2 km. • The greatest distance recorded was 26.4 km.

42. Some Scientific Evidence • What would be the fate of 81-82 mm carapace length (CL) lobsters that would have to be thrown back if the minimum legal size in the Newfoundland fishery was increased from 81 mm to 83 mm to match the U.S. size limit?

43. Some Scientific Evidence • Biological models for Newfoundland lobsters were developed specifically to analyze: • yield per recruit; and • egg production per recruit.

44. Some Scientific Evidence • The models used a complete set of the necessary biological relationships that were obtained in studies of lobsters at Arnold’s Cove, Placentia Bay. • Results from these models would vary somewhat using biological relationships for other areas.

45. Some Scientific Evidence • However, the example given for Arnold’s Cove can be taken as generally representative of Newfoundland lobster populations.

46. Some Scientific Evidence • The yield per recruit model was run with the following starting population: • 1000 males and 1000 females (500 each at 81 and 82 mm CL for both sexes) • a minimum legal size of 83 mm, and • an exploitation rate of 85%.

47. Some Scientific Evidence • Results of the yield per recruit model: • 2000 lobsters at 81 and 82mm would weigh 867 kg (1911 lbs). • If returned to the water, 1759 would reach, over the next several years, a total weight of 1143 kg (2529 lbs). • There would be a 12% reduction in numbers due to natural mortality rate but a 32% increase in the total weight that could be harvested.

48. Some Scientific Evidence • The egg per recruit model was run with a starting population of 1000 females (500 each at 81 and 82 mm CL).

49. Some Scientific Evidence • Results of the egg per recruit model: • If harvested at an 85% exploitation rate, they would produce about 1 million eggs. • However, if the size limit were increased to 83 mm, the same 1000 females would produce over 7 million eggs before being harvested.

50. Other Observations