Lighten up: using artificial light to improve the capture efficiency of fishing gears
Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) is an important commercial shellfish and one of the most valuable fisheries in eastern Canada. The Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery has been the world’s largest for the past two decades. Total landings grew substantially between the 1980s and 1990s, but mor...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Memorial University of Newfoundland
2019
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| Online Access: | https://research.library.mun.ca/13829/ https://research.library.mun.ca/13829/1/thesis.pdf |
| Summary: | Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) is an important commercial shellfish and one of the most valuable fisheries in eastern Canada. The Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery has been the world’s largest for the past two decades. Total landings grew substantially between the 1980s and 1990s, but more recently, the industry has been faced with new challenges including decreases in stock abundance (i.e., poor pre-recruitment), changes in environmental condition (i.e., warming ocean water temperatures), conflicts with shrimp trawlers, effects of seismic exploration, and increases in operating costs. Maintaining the economic viability of small fishing businesses in the presence of these new stressors can be a challenge. In output-controlled fisheries such as snow crab, improving the catch rate of existing traps is an effective method of improving the financial viability of small fishing businesses. In this thesis, I conducted a comprehensive examination of the behaviour of snow crab in response to artificial light (i.e., Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lights and luminescent netting), including laboratory and field experiments, to address the primary goal of improving the catch rate of small conical traps commonly used for catching snow crab in the North Atlantic Ocean. First, I conducted a literature review regarding the use of artificial light in commercial industrialized fisheries. The review provides valuable knowledge and reference for scientists, managers, and fishermen on animal behaviour in response to artificial light. It also addresses the trade-off between positive effects such as increased catch rate and reduced bycatch with negative effects such as the production of increased plastic, ocean litter, and greenhouse gas emission. Second, I conducted 7 experiments to investigate the behaviour of snow crab in response to artificial light, including 2 laboratory studies and 5 field studies, to address the primary goal of improving the catch rates of snow crab traps. Results from the laboratory experiments ... |
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