Leading representatives from academia, government, and industry studying the American lobster, and closely related European lobster, will be in Charlottetown November 3-6 for ‘The American Lobster in a Changing Ecosystem II: A US-Canada Lobster Symposium.’
The US-Canada Lobster Symposium is an opportunity for the research community to interact and present results of recent studies to a wide and diverse audience. Over 120 participants are expected from the US, Canada and Europe. Sessions will examine such topics as lobster biology, population dynamics, and socio-economic issues such as changing markets, growing costs and shore prices.
“The lobster fishery is a major economic driver of coastal communities in Atlantic Canada and the Northeast United States. On Prince Edward Island, it is our largest fishery,” said Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Alan McIsaac. “Hosting the symposium on Prince Edward Island is a great opportunity for our Island fishing community to get first-hand insight into the future of the industry.”
“With close to 60 presentations (oral, poster, and invited) and opportunities to participate in moderated discussion groups and a discussion panel on the "Business of Lobstering" we are anticipating another outstanding event following the first symposium held in Portland, Maine, in 2012,” said Andrea Battison, symposium co-chair.
The Province of Prince Edward Island is providing up to $10,000 to support the symposium which is being hosted by the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association.
“The PEIFA is pleased to be a part of bringing this symposium to Prince Edward Island. The more we know about what is occurring in the ecosystem the better prepared we will be for any changing conditions in the future. There will be a lot of good information shared at this conference. It is not every day that you can have something like this happen in our own backyard. I look forward to the discussion and learning opportunities provided by this symposium,” said PEIFA President Craig Avery.
Minister McIsaac and Mr. Avery also encouraged all Island fishers to take part in the symposium. The final day of the symposium, November 6th, has been dedicated to industry and topics of discussion will be focused on “The Business of Lobstering” where presentations will examine how the lobster industry is adjusting to varied aspects of its own changing economic, social, and cultural environments.
The American Lobster in a Changing Ecosystem II: A US-Canada Lobster Symposium will take place at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel. To register and to learn more about the symposium visit, www.peifa.org/lobster_symposium.
The American lobster, or Homarus americanus, is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America from New Jersey to Labrador. North American landings of this species in recent years have been in excess of 300 million pounds per year.