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Updated: 2 hours ago

Lobstermen say modern data collection essential to support resource

Fishing boats are loaded with lobster traps. File photo / Laurie Schreiber Data such as water temperature, salinity, wind and past weather patterns are helpful to compare year to year, said lobster fishermen.
By Laurie Schreiber

More than 30 lobstermen told fisheries observers that modern data collection technology is needed to monitor the lobster resource and habitat, along with trends that might be affecting both.

The fishermen, from Maine and New Hampshire, met last week at a workshop in Ellsworth with ocean data system managers from Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation and Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems.

"There are many weather and oceanic factors that fishermen now can access at any time. Crucial data such as water temperature, salinity, wind and past weather patterns are helpful to compare year to year," said Jamien Hallowell, captain of FV Ella V. from South Bristol. “This information is very valuable to predicting the current lobster season outlook based on past data. The Maine lobster industry depends on funding for these programs."

The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation is a nonprofit in Kennebunk that was founded  in 2000 in response to a growing demand for improved lobster science and the need to establish long-term data sets. 

The Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems is a nonprofit headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H., that generates data about the ocean and consolidates and share it.

During the workshop, lobstermen said they need timely and accurate data on ocean conditions so that the Gulf of Maine's lobster fishery remains a productive and profitable seafood industry.

Changing conditions

Data on weather and sea state helps fishermen make fundamental operational and safety decisions, they said. 

It was also important to collect information on zooplankton and phytoplankton — tiny organisms that are eaten by lobster larvae — to predict future production. Information on the shifting influences of the Labrador Current and Gulf Stream help shape an understanding of temperature, salinity, nutrients and other conditions throughout the water bodies, they said.

Sponsored by the Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative, the workshop aimed to hear fishermen's data priorities for modernizing monitoring, modeling and data delivery systems to most effectively serve the fishery. 

Data collection programs includes technology such as sensors mounted on fishing gear that automatically send data to a computer in the wheelhouse and plot it, and also relays the position along with averaged temperature and depths via the satellite. An ocean observing system includes the use of electronic tag technology to study animal movement and is considered a critical tool for the biological monitoring of marine life. Underwater gliders mounted with sensors can monitor factors such as water currents, temperature and storm effects.

Data collection programs have expanded in the region over the years. But there are still areas in the Gulf of Maine that need more sampling in order to keep up with changing environmental conditions, said Erin Pelletier, executive director of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation.

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