A Fisherman‐Scientist Collaboration: Re‐assessing Narragansett Bay Lobster Nurseries After Two Decades of Environmental Change Richard A. Wahle University of Maine Lanny Dellinger Rhode Island Lobstermen’s Assn Scott Olszewski Rhode Island Dept Fish & Wildlife 60,000 ss Maine LbLobster 40,000 etric Ton Landings MM 20,000 0 1950 1970 1990 2010 10,000 8,000 ns 6,000 MA oo 4,000 RI Metric T 2, 000 0 1950 1970 1990 2010 Contrasting ME Thermal NS Geoggpyraphy RI 4 Climate change in Narragansett Bay ~1°C/ 33 y Source: Nixon et al. (2004) Gulf of Maine Trends: Since 1982: Since 2004: ~1°C every 40 years ~1°C every 4 years From: Mills et al. 2013 Overview • Background ‐ Monitoring lobster settlement • Narragansett Bay lobster nurseries after two decades of climate change The Vision: Revealing the Spawner‐Recruit Relationship Paulik diagram rvae aa L Juveniles Spawners (Eggs) Suction Inshore Sampling ruits Trawl cc Surveys & Re Collectors Suction sampler Passive Collector Collector & Suction Sampling Sites/Study Areas 2012 2012 PEI NB ME NS NH Suction only Collectors only MA Suction and collectors * * new study areas RI A. B 90 Rhode Island 1990‐2008 80 YoY 70 60 cy nn 50 40 que ee 1Yr 30 Fr 20 10 0 0 5 85 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 Carapace length (mm) 3 Suction sampling time series 1. Lobster Bay, NS 3 0 7. Casco Bay, ME 2 9 1 2. Beaver Hbr W, NB 0 6 3 3 8. York, ME 2 0 1 2 3. Jonesport, ME 0 1 3 9. Beverly, MA 2 0 1 -2 2 4. Mt Desert Is, ME 0 mm 1 1 10. Boston Harbor N -2 0 2 m 5. Outer PenBay, ME 0 NN 1 2 11. Cape Cod Bay, MA 0 1 3 6. Mid-coast, ME 0 2 1 1 12. Buzzards Bay, MA 0 0 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 0 2 13. Rhode Is. 1 0 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 CFRF Project: Revisiting Narragansett Bay Lobster Nurseries Objectives • Compare 2011 & 2012 to 1990 survey ‐ Visual quadrat sampling ‐ Suction sampling • Compare sampling methods ‐ Suction vs Collectors • Explore new industry‐selected sites Narragansett Bay and Rhode Narragansett Bay Island’s outer coast Lobster Nursery Survey Visual quadrat only 1 2 Visual + Suction + 1 Collectors 2 Industry selected Annual Monitoring (suction) since 1991 Visual Surveys 1990 2011 2012 1990 20 20 2011 20 2012 10 equency 10 10 rr N = 60 F N = 182 N =25 0 0 0 0 102030405060708090100 0 102030405060708090100 0 102030405060708090100 Carapace length (mm) Visual surveys ‐ lobster Density (n/m2) 2012 1990 0123 2011 0123 0123 Popasquash Popasquash PhPopasquash Mt. Tom Rock Mt. Tom Rock Mt. Tom Rock Despair Island Despair Island Despair Island Ben Bow Basin Dyer Island Dyer Island Dyer Island Fogland Fogland Fogland Fox Island Gould Island … Fox Island Fox Island Black Point Gould Island (East … Gould Island (East… Dutch Island Black Point Black Point Rose Is. Dutch Island Dutch Island Church Point Church Point Church Point Easton Point House on Rocks Easton Point Fort Wetherill Easton Point Deep Southwest Point Southwest … Southwest Point Sachuest Point Sachuest Point Site Sachuest Point Peter's Pt. Land's End Land's End Land's End Castle Hill Castle Hill Castle Hill Sakonnet Point Sakonnet Point Sakonnet Point Price Neck Price Neck Price Neck Suction Sampling ‐ lobster 1990 2011 2012 10 10 10 8 1990 Suction 8 2011 Suction 8 2012 Suction y cc 6 6 6 4 4 4 Frequen 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 102030405060708090100 0 102030405060708090100 Carapace Length (mm) Collectors ‐ lobster 2011 2012 6 6 2011 Collectors 2012 Collectors 4 4 Frequency 2 Frequency 2 0 0 0 102030405060708090100 0 102030405060708090100 Carapace Length (mm) Carapace Length (mm) Suction – Asian Shore Crab 1990 2011 2012 Asian Shore Crab Fish diversity in American Eel Black Seabass Collectors Conger Eel Cunner Eelpout Longhorn Sculpin Naked Goby Oyster Toadfish Pipefish Red hake RkRock GlGunnel Shorthorn Sculpin Longhorn sculpin Lumpfish Snowy Grouper Tautog Winter Flounder 30 Narragansett Bay and Rhode Temperature (°C) Temperature (°C) Island’s outer coast20 ture 15 20 25 30 aa 10 0 Popasquash Temper ) 0 5 mm 6/1/2011 7/21/2011 9/9/2011 ( 10 Can #6 Depth 15 8/3/2011 20 Temperature (°C) 15 20 25 30 0 )) Sakonet 30 (m 5 (°C) River 20 10 Depth ature Mouth rr 10 House on Rocks 15 8/2/2011 Tempe 0 20 6/1/2011 7/21/2011 9/9/2011 Narragansett Bay Hydrographic Survey ‐ Aug 2012 Salinity (psu) Temperature (oC) Dissolved ‐1 pH 28 29 30 31 32 10 15 20 25 30 46810Oxygen (mg L ) 7.6 7.8 8 8.2 Popasquash Surface Surface Mt. Tom Rock Despair Island Bottom Bottom Dyer Island Fogland Fox Island Gould Island… Black Point Dutch Island Rose Is. Church Point Easton Point Fort Adams Fort Wetherill Surface Surface Southwest Point Deep Bottom Sachuest Point Bottom Peter's Pt. Land's End Castle Hill Sakonnet Point Price Neck Scaling up ‐ 2012 Ocean Heatwave in the North Atlantic Mills et al. 2013 Egg Bearing Lobsters Move offshore Glenn et al. 2011 Projections o SST Change ( C) Ocean CO2 Concentration and pH Friedland unpub MhlMeehl et al., 2007 Recap… • Visua l, suction, collector surveys all point to didramatic decline in juvenile lobsters since 1990 highs. • Lobsters receding from bay and into deeper water. • Appearance of Asian shore crab. • Bottom Temperatures widely exceed 20C except in deeps. • pH lower near bottom; alarmingly so in places. • Projections suggest more rapid warming & acidification. • Conditions not favorable to lobsters in Narragansets Bay. Thanks All… Commercial Fisheries Research Foundati NOAA Rhode Island Lobstermen Rhode Island Dept Environmental Managem UMaine/ Darling Marine Center Charlene Bergeron, Phoebe Jekielek (Research A Noah Oppenheim (Grad student) Sebastian Velez, Adam Umstead (Intern Dan Costa (RI DEM).