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District 34. | |
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Extending from Digby Neck to Barrington Bay along the southwestern shore of Nova Scotia, District 34 has been dubbed the most productive lobster fishing area in the world. Within its boundaries are twenty-four thousand square kilometers of ocean floor representing 30% of Canada's total lobster fishery revenue. In 1896, the first year relatively accurate landing statistics were kept, District 34 harvested over 12,000 tons of lobster. Over the next half century, catches slowly dipped to almost 10% of that, leveling off at 1,600 tons in the 1930's. Various government commissions realized the commercial value of the industry and began reviewing regulations in an attempt to revive it. In the 1980's, landings increased throughout the western Atlantic seaboard. In 1998 and 1999, District 34 once again pulled in 12,000 tons, but not necessarily because of previous regulation changes. A lobster is a crustacean, with a skeleton on the outside of its body which it sheds in order to grow- a process called molting. Small lobsters may molt up to four times a year, adding half their weight and 15% of their length each time. In the 1890's, the average carapace length was 106 mms and a typical lobster weighed two and a half pounds. Today in the Gulf of Maine, which includes District 34, the minimum allowed carapace length is 82.5 mms. Lobsters of this age weigh about a pound and molt only once a year. More importantly, they are not yet mature. Lobsters off southwestern Nova Scotia begin reproducing when their carapace length is between 95-100 mms and have a weight of one and a half pounds. Females mate after a summer molt then produce eggs under her tail the following summer. The eggs remain attached for another 10-12 months before hatching. The larvae feed near the surface for about six weeks before returning to the ocean floor. They hide near their birthplace for a few years and eventually gather courage to wander around in the open. That's when many meet their first lobster trap. Most lobsters make seasonal migrations, moving to deeper water in the winter and shallow water in the summer. While the majority of them only travel a few kilometers, some may crawl over a hundred. Unofficially, fishing grounds are sectioned into three categories: 'nearshore', 'midshore', and 'offshore'. The nearshore fleet, fishing in less than thirty fathoms of water, didn't really begin expanding to the midshore and offshore areas until the 1970's. Before then, the heavily exploited inshore areas had new recruits visiting annually from the safe heavens offshore where mature lobsters usually migrated. In the 1999 season, 90% of District 34's landing total was from the inshore fishery. For every lobster caught inshore, nine out of ten were immature and just a single molt away from reproducing; many would have already mated but had no visible eggs until the following summer. In 1997, the Minister of Fisheries called for several conservation measures to be carried out by Atlantic lobster fishermen. The carapace length was increased from 81 mms to 82.5 mms, which still wouldn't allow lobsters to reach maturity but did give them a second chance. It was felt a second regulation change called 'V-notching' would provide much better results. On paper, V-notching looked really good. Fishermen were to mark berried female lobsters with small marks on the tip of their tails and release them. This would theoretically maintain high inshore and offshore populations and keep exploitation levels stable. There were, however, several problems with the program. Most of the V-notching was done in the spring due to more favorable weather and fewer catches, therefore allowing more time to do it; and also simply because most berried lobsters (and large females in general) were caught then. The DFO weren't exactly thrilled with the results. In 1999, 36% percent of berried females caught were estimated to have been V-notched. That number dropped to 14% in 2000. The V-notching program had assumed a fifty-percent notching rate; they also presumed it would take place at a constant pace throughout the season. It had been hoped the increase in carapace length coupled with V-notching could actually increase the amount of lobsters by 15%. It now appears further measures may have to be taken just to break even. The 2004-2005 landings have, so far, been below average. Scientists have suggested that environmental impact and natural ecological trends share some of the blame for fluctuating populations; they continue studying life cycle patterns and monitoring the lobster's relationship with ground fish stocks for a better understanding. In surrounding districts, lobster catches have been nothing short of dismal. District 34 is still the pride of the fishery, but it's clear that researchers and fishermen will have to combine efforts in the future to make sure it stays that way. |
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