Impact of minimum legal size increases on egg‐per‐recruit production, size structure, and ovigerous females in the American lobster (Homarus americanus) population off the Magdalen Islands (Quebec, Canada): A case study

Abstract

In the mid 1990s, American lobster (Homarus americanus) from Canadian waters was considered overfished based on estimated levels of egg‐per‐recruit production (EPR). In 1997, the Department of Fisheries Oceans responded by adopting a goal of doubling the level of EPR from its 1996 level. In the Magdalen Islands (Quebec), results from a simulation model indicated that doubling EPR could be reached by increasing the minimum legal size (MLS) from 76 mm to 83 mm carapace length. This was done at a pace of 1 mm per year from 1997 to 2003. Following the increase of MLS, the size structure, mean size, and the abundance of ovigerous females improved significantly in the catches. However, levels of fishing effort are still very high. This could cause undesirable effects such as altering sex ratios and size structure of males, which could lead to sperm limitation, and reducing the contribution of multiple spawners to egg production, which could become an issue if egg quality is important. Consideration of these issues leads to the recommendation of a multidimensional approach to lobster conservation.