Kevin J. MacAdam, Minister of Fisheries and Tourism, announced today that the Provincial government is conducting an in-depth sampling program of the Island lobster fishery in 1998. "The results of this study will greatly clarify our view of this most important resource, and will promote better understanding of the need for and effects of lobster management measures in future years," the Minister stated.
Each week during the 1998 season, a total of 37 fishers from different ports carried one of the nine field samplers employed during the sampling program, which was conducted under contract by AVC Inc. These samplers took detailed records of many lobsters in the catch, including the size, gender, the physical condition of the animal and the presence of eggs.
"I am pleased with the encouragement and cooperation we received from the fishing community during this work," the Minister stated. "Island fishers made it clear last winter that they were dissatisfied with the quality and quantity of information on which Federal managers were basing conservation decisions," he continued. "We designed and implemented this program to correct that problem and to establish a new standard for this type of research, which is ordinarily done by the Federal Department."
For this season, the Province has committed to cover the entire cost of the field sampling, the data entry and the presentation of results. Scientists from the Federal Department provided training of field staff and are summarizing and collating the data collected. The results will be presented to the Island lobster industry in a series of meetings early in the new year. Dates and locations for these sessions will be announced later this fall.
"This type of sampling should be conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on an ongoing basis and in conjunction with other, more detailed studies of this resource," said the Minister. "I am now looking to the Federal Minister to make provisions for this program to continue in coming years," he concluded.