Habitat and Enhancement
Experiences and activities in Norway and Europe, based on studies of the European
lobster Homarus gammarus
Gro I. van der Meeren, Halvor Knutsen, Jan Atle Knutsen, Ann- Lisbeth Agnalt and colleagues
Institute of Marine Research NORWAY
RALBAM 4-8 January 2010
• Lobster fisheries in Norway and Europe
• Rebuilding the lobster stock
– Stock enhancement
• Release protocols
• Carrying capacity
• Habitat
• Recapture
• Life in the sea
• Juvenile quality
– Marine protected areas
Releases at Kvitsøy 1990 - 1994
0 500 1000 1500
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Agnalt and Jørstad, 2002
Year
Lobster fisheries in Norway and Europe
Hatchery:
Larval rearing Juvenile rearing
Ongrowth Sea ranching:
Transportation Release
Recapture
Steps in Lobster Production
Photo: Eva Farestveit, IMR
Photo: K. Jørstad, IMR
Individual rearing
Communal rearing
Juvenile rearing
Hatchery
Growth
0,00 0,15 0,30 0,45 0,60
Sept. OKt. Nov. Des
CL (mm)
Bur I sjøen Rom Felleskar
Experiments by: Knut Jørstad, et al. 2001 (communal and single rearing) G.I. van der Meeren, not published (sea cages)
Communal rearing
Sea cages
Single rearing
Juvenile rearing
Hatchery
From leaflet by Norsk Hummer A/S
Juvenile rearing
Hatchery
Photo and patent rights: Aegir AS
”Lobster house” to place in the sea
Juvenile rearing
Hatchery
Construction: Andreas Gjermundsen og Espen Eriksen, NTNU
Construction: Helge Knudsen, IMR
Juvenile rearing
Hatchery
From: Beard and Wickins 1992
Release
Release procedures
Releases in Europe, 1970-1995
Data: Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt, IMR
Years of Age at Tot.
CountryLocation research# Releasedrelease # Recapt.Recap.%
France Bretagne 10 2-3 weeks ? ?
IrelandAlong coast 4 2-4 weeks ? ?
France 5 ~1 year 22 0,09
10 ~1 year 653 1,3
" 10 453 2,4
" 9 ~1 year 58 1,9
" 9 ~1 year 307 1,6
Norway 9 ~1 year 5 115 4
Age at Tot.
Location research# Releasedrelease # Recapt.Recap.%
France Bretagne 10 Up to 225 000 2-3 weeks ? ?
IrelandAlong coast 4 2-4 weeks ? ?
France 5 ~1 year 22 0,09
10 ~1 year 653 1,3
" 10 453 2,4
" 9 ~1 year 58 1,9
" 9 ~1 year 307 1,6
Norway
Bretagne Wales
N. Scotland Kvitsøy
East England W. Scotland
9
292 000 25 480 49 128 19 233 3 044 19 520
127 945 ~1 year 5 115 6,2 CountryRegion Duration
Years Numbers
released Age at
release Recapture % France
Ireland France Gr.Britt.
Gr.Britt.
Gr.Britt.
Gr.Britt.
Norway
Weeks
Year
7 950 10
Recaptures, Kvitsøy,
Norway
Data:
Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt et al., IMR 2001
88 Year Class Released: 15 000 Recaptured: 554
0,0 1,0 2,0
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000
Male Female
90 Year Class Released: 29 700 Recaptured: 1 757
0,0 1,0 2,0
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000
91 Year Class Released: 29 900 Recpatured: 2 405
0,0 1,0 2,0
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000
92 Year Class Released: 11 800 Recaptured: 792
0,0 1,0 2,0
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000
93 Year Class Released: 32 800 Recaptured: 1 224
0,0 1,0 2,0
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000
89 Year Class Released: 8 700 Recaptured: 841
0,0 1,0 2,0
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000
Recapture (%) of each year class through time
Recapture period reported by Agnalt et al. 1999
Recapture year (autumn and following spring)
* *
0 2 4 6 8 10
92-H 93-H 94-H 95-H 96-H 97-H 98-H 99-H
Season
Cumulativ recapture
88 89 90 91 92 93
Data:
Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt et al., IMR 2000
Recaptures of annual clutches Kvitsøy, Norway
Release year
Life in the sea
From video by Eva Farestveit, IMR
P ro se n tf o rd el in g
Released Eaten
Life in the sea
Time for releases
Season
November-April May-October
% Fr equenc y, nos . of juv eni les
van der Meeren, 2000
CANO WP3 - Lobster
Estimate carrying capacity (juvenile density) in early stages, in releases with European lobster
(enhancement/ranching)
Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt, Eva Farestveit, K.E. Jørstad
Life in the sea
Aim:
Hartvig Christie, NIVA
Life in the sea
Artificial shelters
Artificial reefs in Sweden
N. Egriell, M. Ulmestrand, J. Andersson, B. Gustafsson, T. Lundälv, C.
Erlandsson, L. Jonsson, T. Ahsberg
Municipal authorities og Gothenburg, Swedish ship trafic authorities, GothenburgUniversity, Directorate of Fisheries EU
Life in the sea
Settling traps
Life in the sea
Bottom substrate
0,75 m
Photo: Astrid Woll, Møre Research
Life in the sea
Linnane et al., 2001
Liocarcinus arcuatus
Athanas nitescen
Pisidia longicornis Galathea squamifera Crustacea
49,0 %
Cultivated lobster, 5th stage
Sipunculidae 1,0 % Mollusca
7,4 % Nemertea
1,5 %
Polychaeta 20,0 %
Pisces 1 %
Echinodermata 20,0 %
0.5 %
Other phyla
Commonly found crustaceans in Western Norwegian cobble grounds
Life in the sea
Mercer et al. 2001; Linnane et al., 2001
Benthic
diversity
Juvenile quality
Genetics Anatomy Neurology Fitness
Behaviour
Juvenile quality
Genetics
Jørstad et al., 2005
Juvenile quality
Morphology
van der Meeren & Uksnøy 2000
Neurology
Juvenile quality
van der Meeren et al, in prep
Lobster brain BrdU-labelled lobster brain
LPZ
56 µm
Juvenile quality
van der Meeren et al, in prep
Neurology
Neurogenesis and growth in cultivated lobster juveniles
Juvenile quality
van der Meeren et al, in prep
Neurology
e,f e
f
e, f e, f
c d
b a a
3 weeks 5 weeks Treatment 0
50 100 150 200 250
1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
# n ew c el ls
8 9
10 11
9
12 h incubation in BrdU (9pm-9am)
1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
10
7 8 10 8
Established cells two weeks after BrdU injections
n 1) Traditional compartment 2) Shelter added
3) Shelter and substrate added 4) Large space with shelter
5) Large space with shelter and substrate
Juvenile quality
van der Meeren et al, in prep
Neurology
Fitness
Juvenile quality
Photo: Eva Farestveit, IMR
Photo: K. Jørstad, IMR
Jørstad, et al. 2009
Juvenile quality
Behaviour
Photo: T. van der Meeren
van der Meeren, 1991 L/P D/P D/P/WD D/WL/W
Sec ond s
12010080 60 40 20
Rushing
along bottom
0
L= Light D = Dark
P = under Pressure W = in Water
Sec ond s Rushing up
in the water column
120 100 80 60 40 20
L/P D/P D/P/WD D/WL/W
Juvenile quality
Behaviour
Direction of first move after release
Photo: Eva Farestveit
van der Meeren, 2001.
Treatment
Naive Experienced 0
20 40 60 80
%
Centre tube
Shelter position
Nearest corner/wall
X Release spot
Juvenile quality
Behaviour
0 3 6 9 12 15 18
Naive Experienced
Minutes
Not threatened Threatened
Photo: Eva Farestveit
Direction of first move after release
Juvenile quality
Behaviour
van der Meeren, 2001.
Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
J.A. Knutsen, A.R. Pettersen, E. Moland, E. S.R. Enersen,
MPA
Establishing lobster reserves along the Coast of Skagerrak
• MPAs - of great
international interest in ecosystem-based management and
nature conservation.
• How fast would a
lobster stocks rebuild within a protected
area.
MPAs of Norway
Project started 2001.
The lobster reserves-
were based on information from local fishers- local management
Four lobster reserves
approved
19. Sept 2006.
A monitoring programme –
designed according to ‘Before-After-Control-Impact-Pairs’
(Russ 2002).
Flødevigen
R
C Bolærne
R C
Risør R
C
R
Kvernskjær
Skagerrak Norway
59 N
10 Eo o
Flødevigen Risør
Bolærne
Kvernskjær
Key questions:
1) How does a coastal population of European
lobsters be effected by marine protected areas?
2) Is the population structure based on geographically isolated populations?
MPA,
Interreg IIIA
”BORDER LOBSTER”
Carl André, Jan Atle Knutsen, Halvor Knutsen, Esben Moland Olsen,
Svein Erik Enersen, Kate Enersen, Hanne Sannæs og Rune Johansen
1. Effects on a coastal population of European lobsters
• Acoustic tags, to look at seasonal migration and diurnal mobility
MPA
Design for mobility studies
Kvernskjær
Reservation border
Recording bouy
Lobsters
1. Effects on a coastal population of European lobsters
MPA
Positive results
A ) Mean catch-per-unit-effort inside reserve- and control areas before and after reserve
establishment.
B) Mean size of lobsters (total length) caught in reserve and control areas before and after reserve establishment.
C) Egg size of egg bearing
females inside-outside in reserve and control areas before and
after establishment
Result presented at IMPAC II in Washington May 2009.
Under publication (contact:
janak@imr.no)
MPA
Thank you!
See you in 2011?
Gro I. van der Meeren,Alf Ring Kleven, Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt, Even Moland, Guldborg Søvik,
Halvor Knutsen, Jan Helge Knutsen, Knut Jørstad
