National Sea Grant American Lobster Research Program

Description

The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is one of the most iconic modern American fisheries and total U.S. landings of lobster have steadily increased over the past 35 years. Today, the ex-vessel value of the American lobster fishery is estimated at roughly $666.7 million and represents one of the largest and most valuable fisheries along the Atlantic coast. In 2015, the American lobster fishery represented the highest landed value in the nation. Rising ocean temperatures have caused global fish population distribution shifts, and studies suggest warming temperatures may also directly impact the migration, growth, maturity, and natural mortality of American lobster. Of equal concern are potential impacts to lobster larval mortality due to ecosystem and food web changes. Lobster habitat is also changing, although the degree to which is unknown. These changes present threats to the American lobster fishery in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, where the majority of American Lobster is harvested. Although lobster populations and landings in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank have been increasing since the late 1990s, young-of-year surveys began showing declines in 2012. The state of Maine, where more than eighty percent of lobsters harvested in the US were landed in 2016, reported an eighteen percent drop in catch volume in 2017. The recruitment failure experienced in southern New England and its subsequent impacts on the lobster fishery have raised concerns that a similar failure could occur in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Banks after years of record harvests. Understanding the factors leading to recruitment failures and the socioeconomic implications are critical to preserving the American lobster fishery. Both researchers and industry are already observing changes in maturation and growth in the Gulf of Maine lobster population. The 2015 stock assessment found that while the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank stock was at record high abundance, there has been a decline in settlement in recent years - a potential sign of poor future recruitment. Changes in the spatial distribution of the stock such as increased migration between inshore and offshore habitat are also not well-understood. While traditionally much of the lobster fishery has been located in nearshore areas, there is also a need to better understand the growing offshore fishery. As the fishery adapts to the effects of environmental change, there are clear socioeconomic impacts to the communities involved. Critical research is needed now to answer some of the most important questions regarding the lobster stock and its fishery. This program will support research to address critical gaps in knowledge about how the American Lobster and its fishery is being impacted by environmental change. It is informed by listening sessions with regional fishing industry stakeholders, state and federal fisheries managers, and university, state and federal fisheries researchers. Research topics suitable for study on American lobster under this FFO should have a geographic focus of the Gulf of Maine and/or Georges Bank and address one or more of the following: (1) Increased understanding of life history parameters, including but not limited to, migration, growth, and maturity; (2) Larval studies and early biology; (3) Spatial distribution; and (4) Socio-economic lessons learned from Southern New England as they pertain to Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. For each research topic above, special emphasis may be placed on the impact of warming temperatures. Pending appropriation of funds, Sea Grant anticipates awarding between 5-10 research projects totaling between $1 million and $2 million in FY2019. Projects must have a maximum duration of two years. The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2008, Public Law 110-394) to support leveraged federal and state partnership that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities. This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2019-2005917. Additional guidance and tips on how best to prepare an application are provided in the Sea Grant General Application Guide available at (https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Portals/1/Guidance/SeaGrantGeneralApplicationGuide.pdf)

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