Retrieval of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear in Southwest Nova Scotia, Canada: Preliminary environmental and economic impacts to the commercial lobster industry

Alexa J Goodman; Jessie McIntyre; Ariel Smith; Leah Fulton; Tony R Walker; Craig J Brown

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112766

Retrieval of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear in Southwest Nova Scotia, Canada: Preliminary environmental and economic impacts to the commercial lobster industry

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Oct:171:112766. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112766. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Authors

Alexa J Goodman¹, Jessie McIntyre², Ariel Smith², Leah Fulton³, Tony R Walker⁴, Craig J Brown⁵

Affiliations

¹ Coastal Action, Mahone Bay, Canada; School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada; Marine Environmental Observtion Prediction and Response (MEOPAR), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. Electronic address: a.goodman@dal.ca.
² Coastal Action, Mahone Bay, Canada.
³ Coastal Action, Mahone Bay, Canada; Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
⁴ School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
⁵ Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.

PMID: 34330000
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112766

Abstract

Southwest Nova Scotia (SWNS) is Canada's most productive lobster (Homarus americanus) fishing region. Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is widespread. This baseline study provides the first preliminary assessment of environmental and economic impacts of ALDFG on the commercial lobster industry in SWNS. Fishers conducted 60 retrieval trips, searched ~1523 km² of the seafloor and removed 7064 kg of ALDFG (comprising 66% lobster traps and 22% dragger cable). Results showed that lost traps continued to capture target and non-target species until gear degraded. A total of 15 different species were released from retrieved ALDFG, including 239 lobsters (67% were market-sized) and seven groundfish (including five species-at-risk). The present findings, combined with information on regional fishing effort and market prices, estimate that commercial losses from ALDFG can exceed $175,000 CAD annually. This baseline assessment provides useful data for government and commercial fishing stakeholders to improve ALDFG management.

Keywords: American lobster; Benthic impacts; Ghost gear; Industry stewardship; Marine debris; Species-at-risk.

MeSH terms

Animals
Fisheries*
Industry
Nephropidae*
Nova Scotia
Seafood