Fishermen & scientists collaborate to monitor lobster nurseries in New England & Atlantic Canada Richard A. Wahle University of Maine

Overview The vision The tool kit A Case study: the Rhode Island collapse Implications & Future

The Vision: Linking Life Stages/ Probing Processes Pelagic Pre-settlement Processes Benthic Post-settlement Processes Egg Production Larval Settlement Larvae Postlarvae Juveniles Adults NEAq Inshore Trawl Surveys Suction Sampling Passive Collectors

Suction sampler Passive Collector

Wilson/ ME DMR Carloni/ NH F&G Glenn/ MA DMF Gibson/ RI DEM Tremblay/ DFO Fishermen & Scientists RS Lawton/ DFO Rochette/ UNB Comeau/ DFO PEI Fishermen Burdett- Coutts/MUN NL Fishermen

Geographic Patterns 2008 YoY Older juv

ME NH MA RI NB NS NL QC PEI Gulf of St. Lawrence Gulf of Maine ME NH MA RI NB NS NL QC PEI Gulf of St. Lawrence Gulf of Maine Suction Samples 2008 Collectors 2008 Geographic Patterns 2008 YoY Older juv

Bay of Fundy Gulf of Maine So. New England Temperature (°C) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Depth (m) BOF GOM SNE Contrasting thermal regimes

Gulf of Maine Bay of Fundy YoY Southern New England Temperature

Beaver Hbr, NB Jonesport, ME Mt. Desert, ME Pen. Bay, ME Mid-coast, ME Casco Bay, ME York, ME Beverly, MA Cape Cod Bay, MA Buzzards Bay, MA Rhode Island Suction Sampling Time Series

Rhode Island: Predicting Pre-recruits from Settlement Photo ME DMR

Shell Disease njscuba.com Alistair Dove Roxanna Smolowitz Remaining polysac matrix Bacteria Protists Healthy chitin

Landings Pre-recruits Disease Rhode Island’s time line: landings, pre-recruits and shell disease

Rhode Island: Joint effects of settlement & disease on pre-recruits (Wahle et al. 2009)

But what drives variable settlement?

Declining NAO Index 2010

R=α S e -βS-γC Joint effects of Spawners & NAO on Settlement R= recruitment (settlers) S= spawning stock C= auxiliary variable (NAO Index) α= max rate of recruitment β= coeff compensatory mortality γ= coeff mortality due to auxiliary factor

Recap ALSI collaborative widens scale of monitoring RI case study – Closing the life cycle Prior to 1996, settlement predicts pre-recruits. A first for clawed lobster! Since 1996, joint effects of settlement + disease model (Wahle et al. 2009). A first for marine invertebrates! Spawners + NAO predict settlement (Gibson in prep.). A first for clawed lobster!

Implications We’re part drivers, part passengers on this train Dynamics more local than we thought. What’s next? Evaluate predictive power by region Formalize the ALSI collaborative Dedicated Web portal: data submission & reporting.

20 Grad students - Charlene, Mahima Interns Charlene Bergeron (Tech., Grad student) Mahima Jaini (Grad student) Noah Oppenheim (NSF REU) Katherine Thompson (Intern) Lee Reeve (Intern)

Rhode Island: Settlement predicts Pre- recruits 3 years later (Wahle et al. 2009)

Nearshore Trawl Surveys Photo ME DMR

Relative Natural Mortality = -ln(prerecruits/settlers) Pre-disease Disease

Is the Gulf of Maine Next? Fall Spring 2000 Fall R. Glenn, MA DMF

Warming Temperatures? From Sea Surface Temperatures, Woods Hole, MA (Glenn & Pugh 2006)

Projecting to the Future

Recap: Emerging Patterns in Post-settlement Processes Settlement & Crowding Predation Pressure Disease

NH ME NB NL RI QC Mid-coast 8 MA Rhode Is. 6 Beaver Hbr Lawton, DFO,

The American Lobster Settlement Index: Fishermen and scientists collaborate to monitor lobster nurseries in New England & Atlantic Canada Richard A. Wahle University of Maine

Rhode Island: Following cohorts through time Settlers 1 yr olds (from Wahle et al. 2004)

NH ME NB NL RI QC MA Magdelan Islands Hudon (1987) Rhode Island MidcoastMaine

The American Lobster Settlement Index: Fishermen & scientists collaborate to monitor lobster nurseries in New England & Atlantic Canada Richard A. Wahle, Charlene Bergeron, University of Maine, USA John Tremblay, Dept Fisheries & Oceans, Halifax, Canada Carl Wilson, Maine Dept Marine Resources, USA Michel Comeau, Dept Fisheries & Oceans, Moncton, Canada Rémy Rochette, University of New Brunswick, St. John, Canada Peter Lawton, Dept Fisheries & Oceans, St. Andrews, Canada Victoria Burdett-Coutts, Memorial University, St. Johns, Canada Robert Glenn, Massachusetts Div. Marine Fisheries, USA Mark Gibson, Rhode Island Dept Fish & Wildlife, USA

Bay of Fundy Gulf of Maine So. New England