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

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

3. 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

4. Suction sampler Passive Collector

5. 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

6. Geographic Patterns 2008 YoY Older juv

7. 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

8. 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) 100 50 0 100 50 0 100 50 0 BOF GOM SNE Contrasting thermal regimes

9. Gulf of Maine Bay of Fundy YoY Southern New England Temperature

10. 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

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

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

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

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

15. But what drives variable settlement?

16. Declining NAO Index 2010

17. 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

18. 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!

19. 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. 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)

22. Rhode Island: Settlement predicts Pre- recruits 3 years later (Wahle et al. 2009) 1990 -1996 1997-2002

23. Nearshore Trawl Surveys Photo ME DMR

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

25. Is the Gulf of Maine Next? Fall 1997 1998 1999 Spring 2000 Fall 2000 2002 2003-2010 R. Glenn, MA DMF

26. Warming Temperatures? From Sea Surface Temperatures, Woods Hole, MA 1945-2004 (Glenn & Pugh 2006)

27. Projecting to the Future

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

29. NH ME NB NL RI QC Mid-coast 8 MA 1992 - 1994 Rhode Is. 6 Beaver Hbr 2 1993 Lawton, DFO,

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

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

33. NH ME NB NL RI QC MA 1987 - 1991 Magdelan Islands Hudon (1987) Rhode Island MidcoastMaine

34. 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

35. Bay of Fundy Gulf of Maine So. New England