2016 – FALL
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS (MPAs)
Canada is committed to protecting ecological and biophysical sensitive areas in our oceans and Great lakes by restricting certain activities in specific areas referred to as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In 2017, DFO presented a proposed draft MPA site map currently under consideration. The identified area of interest (AOI) sites, were officially announced in 2018 [...]
ROPE-LESS FISHING GEAR PILOT STUDY
During the Fall of 2018, Coldwater Lobster Association (CLA) conducted two pilot studies on the effectiveness and practicality of ‘rope-less’ fishing gear technology for the commercial lobster industry within LFA 34. CLA partnered with Desert Star Systems LLC, a US-based oceans technology company, and Ashored Innovations, a Canadian-based ocean technology company, to test and [...]
BYCATCH MONITORING
In 2017, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced that at-sea data collection to monitor bycatch was being implemented for LFAs 33, 34 and 35 in 2018. In response to DFO’s announcement, Coldwater Lobster Association (CLA), along with four other fishermen’s associations, collaborated to develop an industry-led bycatch monitoring program that was tailored to the [...]
ATLANTIC LOBSTER MOULT AND QUALITY SURVEY (ALMQ)
The ALMQ is the continuation of a long-standing research initiative that has been a collaboration between Coldwater Lobster Association, lobster buyers, and scientific researchers with the Université Sainte-Anne. While the lobster industry in Nova Scotia faces many challenges, the quality of the lobsters during the start of the lobster fishing season in Southwest Nova [...]