Stock Enhancement in European Lobster: Relations to Lobster Biology, Fisheries and Management

Gro I. van der Meeren, Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt, Even Moland, Esopen Moland Olsen, Alf Ring Kleiven, Knut Jørstad, Ellen S. Grefsrud, Eva Farestveit, Ole Ingar Paulsen & Trude H. ThangstadInstitute of Marine Research, PB 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817 Bergen, NORWAY

Stock Enhancement in European Lobster: Relations to Lobster

Biology, Fisheries and Management

Lobster research in Norway todayAquaculture Stock enhancementMPAFisheries monitoring and technologyReproduction, Recruitment and carrying capacity

BehaviourDiseases

(ongoing)(terminated)

(ongoing)(ongoing)

(ongoing)(terminated)

(ongoing)Projects at the IMR

Where are the fisheries?

The development of the fisheries

The value of the fisheries.

Fisheries regulations.

Where are we heading?

The decapod crustacean fisheries in Norway

Data sources: Anon 1995. Historical Statistics 1994. Ch. 15 Fishing, Sealing and Whaling. Statistics Norway, Oslo Kongsvinger 1995: pp343-364. and kindly uptadet to 2007 by the Norwegian Directorate for Fisheries

Euopean lobster Brown crab Deep sea shrimp Norway lobster Red king crab

Historic landings

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000Landings since 1908, all species

Deep sea shrimpRed king crabBrown crabNorway lobsterLobsterM

etri

c to

ns

Fisheries regulations

State of the stocks: Red-listed Expanding Assumed good ExpandingRegulations:TACa - - X - XQuota per boat - - - - XLicense - - X X XSeason closures X X X X XGear regulations X X X X XMLSb X X X X XMaxLS - - - - -Protection of females - - - - XProtection of berried females X - - - XCultivation X - - - XMPAc X - - - -

Lobster Brown crab

Deep sea shrimp

Norway lobster

Red king crab

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

Mean value of annual catch (Nok x 1 000) per species

Data sources: Anon 1995. Historical Statistics 1994. Ch. 15 Fishing, Sealing and Whaling. Statistics Norway, Oslo Kongsvinger 1995: pp343-364. and kindly uptadet to 2007 by the Norwegian Directorate for Fisheries

1908191219161920192419281932193619401944194819521956196019641968197219761980198419881992199620002004

0100200300400500600700800900

1,000

Norway lobsterLobster

Met

ric to

ns

Landings of Homarus gammarus and Nephrops norvegicus

Total catch

 # of

lobsters KiloProp of total

Total recreational catch 25400 16600 0,65

Total commercial catch 12100 7900 0,31

Unknown 1400 900 0,04Official commercial landings 2803 1831 0,07

Total catch 39200 25400  

Alf Ring Kleiven1,2, Esben Moland Olsen 1 Jon Helge Vølstad1

Mean value of annual catch (Nok x 1 000) per species

Where are we heading?

2005 Introducing ecosystem-based management of marine resources to replace single-species approaches,

Wide geographical scales Traditions Weak databases

= Separate management for these fisheries

The management approach must be founded on Biological and ecological data, Insight in the ecosystem each species

Understanding of the value of these fisheries

The social implications

Will be good for stock size

Cannot replace the management of the surrounding waters.

MPA may not be anything but conservation. Mats UlmestrandSwedish National Board of

Fisheries

Øyvind FiksenModeling group, University

of Bergen

Volker GrimmUFZ, Leipzig

MPAA ) Mean catch-per-unit-effort inside reserve- and control areas before and after reserve establishment.

B) Mean size of lobsters (total length) caught in reserve and control areas before and after reserve establishment.

C) Egg size of egg bearing females inside-outside in reserve and control areas before and after establishment

Even Moland, Esben M. Olsen, Halvor Knutsen, Alf Ring Kleiven, Jan Atle Knutsen, IMR

Cultivation by rear and release strategies

• Protects the organisms through vulnerable life stages

• Provides a stable and controlled recruitment

• Has been attempted in a range of both terrestrial and • limnic organisms

• Has more often than not been based on • ”good ideas” , ”best guesses”, and ”trial-

and-error” methods

Result:Few succesful programmesCause: Lack of ecological understanding

Intention and wanted outcome

Rearorganism

Release

Settling in

Growth

1. Morphology, Physiology and Neurology

2. Effect of Handling, Release and

Physical Sea Conditions 3. Experience4. Competition5. Habitat6. Predators7. Food

Factors that will have influence on the outcome

Morphology: Relations between Claw Size, Weight and Carapace

Length

y = 0,386x - 1,2681

R2 = 0,6343

y = 0,4777x + 6,36262

R = 0,2973

100

200

300

400

350 450 550 650 750 850 950

Weight (g)

CI (

cm3)

American lobster. CI (cm3) European lobster CL (mm)

y = 0,0478x + 61,337

R2 = 0,425

y = 0,0435x + 67,813

R2 = 0,8412

80

90

100

110

350 450 550 650 750 850 950

Weight (g)

CL

(mm

)

van der Meeren, Wahle & Ekeli, in prep

0

3

6

9

12

0,5 2,5 4,5 6,5 8,5 11 15 19 35 55 75

Cum

. nos

.

Min.

Eur. lobster Am. lobster

Evicted from shelter by an introduced competitor

Morphology: Shelter competition

van der Meeren, Wahle & Ekeli, in prep

Handling: Transportation

Ref.: van der Meeren, G.I. 1991. Out-of-Water Transportation Effects on Behaviour in Newly Released Juvenile Atlantic Lobsters Homarus gammarus. Aquaculture Engineering 10: 55-64.

L/P D/P D/P/W D D/W L/W

Seco

nds120

10080604020

Rushingalong bottom

0

L= LightD = DarkP = under PressureW = in Water

Seco

nds

Rushing up in the watercolumn

120100

80604020

L/P D/P D/P/W D D/W L/W

Release strategy: Survival related to season

Recovered in stomach samplesReleased

WinterDec.-April

SummerMay-Nov.

Perc

enta

ge %

60

50

40

30

20

10

70

0

8090

100

Based on: van der Meeren 2000. Predation on hatchery-reared juvenile European lobsters Homarus gammarus released in the wild. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 57: 1784-1793.

Cold Warm

*

Dim Light

n.s.

Fish No fish

*

60

0% fi

ghtin

g lo

bste

rs

50

40

30

20

10

70

Physical Sea Conditions: Temperature and Agressiveness

Based on data from: van der Meeren, G.I. 1993. Initial response to physical and biological conditions in naive juvenile Lobsters Homarus gammarus. Marine Behaviour and Physiology 24: 79-92.

Settling processes at release time

Flee

Confused

Apathetic

Rearing andhandling

Swim Sink

Alert

Biologicalfactors

Win

LooseInjury

Interactions

Settling in

Roaming

Releaseorganism

Growth

Experience: Direction of first move after release

Photo: Eva Farestveit

Ref.: van der Meeren, G.I. 2001. Effects of Experience with Shelter in Hatchery-Reared Juvenile European Lobsters Homarus gammarus. Marine & Freshwater Research 52: 1487-93.

TreatmentNaive Experienced

0

20

40

60

80

%

Centre tube

Shelter position

Nearest corner/wallX Release spot

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

Naive Experienced

Min

utes

Experience: Time to accept shelter,sheltering behaviour

Not threatened Threatened

Ref.: van der Meeren, G.I. 2001. Effects of Experience with Shelter in Hatchery-Reared Juvenile European Lobsters Homarus gammarus. Marine & Freshwater Research 52: 1487-93.

Photo: Eva Farestveit

Habitat: Survival related to substrate types

Released

Freq

uenc

y

60

50

40

3020

10

70

0

8090

100

Rocky grounds Open sand

Recovered in stomach samplesBased on: van der Meeren 2000. Predation on hatchery-reared juvenile European lobsters Homarus gammarus released in the wild. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 57: 1784-1793.

Competitors: Biodiversity

Anomura

Brachyura

Caridea

Thalassinidea

Amphipoda Isopoda

Mysidacea

Astacidae

0 10 20 30 40 50Frequency

Pisces0.5%

Nemertea1.5%

Sipunculidae1.0.%

Echinodermata20.0%

Other phyla1.0%

Mollusca7.4%

Polychata20.0%

Crustacea49.0%

Ref.: Mercer, J., Bannister, R.C.A., van der Meeren, G.I., Debuse, V., Mazzoni, D., Linnane, A., and Ball, B. 2000. The Influence of Competitive Interactions on the Abundance of Early Benthic Stage European Lobster (Homarus gammarus L.) and Hence on the Carrying Capacity of Lobster Habitat. Final Report LEAR FAIR CT-1775. Shellfish Research Laboratory, Carna, County Galway, Ireland, 158 pp.

Ref.: Koponen, H . 2003. Interspecific competition among hatchery reared European lobster (Homarus gammarus L.) juveniles and wild benthic decapods. )(L.).

Master thesis, University of Bergen, Norway

P. longicornis

L. arcuatus

G. squamifera, large

G. squamifera, small

Observation time

Nos

. un

shel

tere

d

0

4

8

12

16

Release 2 h 25 h 49 h 73 h

Competitor species

H. gammarus

0

Nos

. uns

helte

red

4

8

12

16

Release 2 h 25 h 49 h 73 h

Competitors:Biodiversity

Predators

Video by E. Farestveit

Photo: Per Jensen

Photo: Astrid Woll

Photo: T. van der Meeren

Carcinus maenas Cancer pagurus

Labrus bergylta Gadus morhuaSummer/Autumn Summer/Autumn/

Winter

All year

Summer/AutumnBased on: van der Meeren 2000. Predation on hatchery-reared juvenile European lobsters Homarus gammarus released in the wild. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 57: 1784-1793.

Group No.Observed Survival   Observed/Expected

Kwild 1061 7,00 % 100 %KReared 1214 3,80 % 54% of W

Overall survival – pooled data in all experimental units (H and P)

Source: Jørstad et al. 2009

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

KWild KReared

Obse

rved

/Exp

ecte

d

Settlingand survival processesafter release

Interactions

LooseInjury

WinCompetition

Death

Predatorattack

Injury

Death

Predatorattack

Injury

Habitat andPredation

Experience

Roaming

Seeking shelter

Entershelter

Settling in successfully

Growth

Settling in succesfully

Food and space require-ments after settling in

No growth

Food shortage

Limited space

Unacceptablesubstrate

Leave shelter

Biologicalfactors

Win

Interactions

LooseInjury

Roaming

Growthfactors

Acceptablesubstrate

Enough space

Growth

Enough food

Adopt shelter

Death

Predatorattack

Injury

Escape

Quality of the release organism depends on:

• Broodstock• Health• Rearing facilities, incl. food qualiyt• Training• Handling and transport• Acclimatisation

Biological and ecologicalknowledge is necessary and should be based on:

• Field studies • Laboratory experiments• Individual-based models• Ecosystem theories

Summary

Summary of important concerns related to juvenile releases

Flee

Confused

Apathetic

Rearing andhandling

Swim Sink

Alert

Roaming

Releaseorganism

InteractionsBiologicalfactors

Win

LooseInjury

Settling in succesfully

No growth

Food shortage

Limited space

Unacceptablesubstrate

Leave shelter

Acceptablesubstrate

Enough space

Growth

Enough food

Adopt shelter

Rearorganism

Release

Settling in

Growth

Death

Predatorattack

Injury

Escape

Ref: van der Meeren 2004. Review Potential of ecological studies to improve survival of cultivated and released European lobsters, Homarus gammarus. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 39: 399-424

1. Morphology, Physiology,Neurology and

Genetics2. Effect of Handling, Release and

Physical Sea Conditions 3. Experience4. Competition5. Habitat6. Predators7. Food

Factors that will have influence on the outcome

Thank you