Assessment of the American Lobster (Homarus americanus) stock status in Newfoundland (LFAs 3–14C) in 2021/2022

Abstract

The American Lobster (Homarus americanus) is distributed nearshore around the island of Newfoundland and along the Strait of Belle Isle portion of the Labrador coast. Major life history events (i.e., molting, mating, egg extrusion, and hatching) generally occur from mid-July to mid-September, following the fishing season. This stock was last assessed in 2019 and is currently assessed every three years. The present assessment of this stock was requested by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Resource Management to provide current information on the status of the resource to be used in an updated Integrated Fisheries Management Plan. The Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) were assessed based on four assessment regions: Northeast Coast (LFAs 3–6), Avalon (LFAs 7–10), South Coast (LFAs 11–12), and West Coast (LFAs 13–14). The key indicators for the assessment are reported landings, catch per unit effort (CPUE), exploitation rate and total mortality in legal sized lobster, and biomass indices. Preliminary total reported landings in 2022 were at their highest level in a century (5,780 t); this reflects increasing trends in the South Coast, West Coast, and Northeast Coast regions, while reported landings in the Avalon region have remained low. Despite showing signs of persistent high exploitation rates in most areas, all key indicators are consistent in showing sustained signs of growth throughout most areas of the Newfoundland and Labrador Region and immediate recruitment prospects, as well as those for the foreseeable future, appear favourable.