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Maine’s lobster fishery – which supports thousands of jobs across the state – is heavily policed. Management efforts are informed by biological monitoring surveys showing changes in the abundance and distribution of lobster populations and by dealer and harvester reporting from the industry. Yet these figures do not tell the full story of an industry shaken by supply and market disruptions and geopolitical conflict, or the well-being of the people and communities that rely on it.
As annual commercial lobster landings face a 27% decline from 2016-2022, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association calls on its leaders to better position themselves to monitor the industry’s socio-economic resiliency and respond to social, economic, environmental and regulatory changes. Have looked for new ways to bring.
After two years of data collection, quantitative and qualitative analysis, meetings and interviews with lobstermen and other stakeholders, a team of researchers from the University of Maine created new indicators to holistically monitor the industry’s resilience. These metrics have the potential to provide greater insight into the well-being of fishermen and their families, shippers, processors, restaurants, other businesses, and the communities in which they all live.
study is published in the journal maritime policy,
“For too long, fisheries managers have lacked the data needed to consider the social and economic impacts of regulations on Maine’s lobster industry. This study provides a suite of indicators to fill that gap so that future The rules focus on preserving the resources, lobstermen, and Maine’s coastal communities,” said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association.
The team identified eight socio-economic indicators: coastal access, operational conditions, business investment, community structure, financial health, risk taking, personal spending, and physical and mental health. Coastal access is the availability and affordability of coastal habitat; Operating conditions equate to business expenses and cost proxies; And community structure means demographic information.
Each indicator is supported by secondary data from state and federal agencies, as well as publicly available information from some businesses and organizations. For example, the Operational Status Indicator uses landings, voyages, crew, and gear data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, while Coastal Access uses inventory, price, and demographic data from the Maine Housing Authority, Realtor.com, and Airbnb.com. Does it.
Theresa said, “These indicators define important socioeconomic components of the fishery that lobstermen have been describing for many years. Quantifying the indicators allows fishermen, local communities and managers to identify changes in the socioeconomic status of the fleet.” and have the opportunity to respond quickly.” Burnham, a research associate in the UMaine School of Marine Sciences. Burnham co-led the study to create these socioeconomic indicators with Joshua Stoll, associate professor of marine policy.
Dive into the data
When examining coastal access, one of the team’s findings was that coastal housing across the state is unattainable for average income earners. With short-term rentals on the rise, the data confirms that coastal access has declined across the state since 2016.
Burnham said, “The decline we are seeing in the affordability of coastal habitat may mean that lobstermen will have to travel further up the coast to where they work, and this may lead to seasonal work on lobster boats. It can also become an obstacle for people who want to do it.”
The data and interviews also highlighted regional differences in the lobster industry. Operating conditions, a proxy for lobstermen’s costs and earnings, increased in eastern Maine—Washington and Hancock counties—but decreased in southern Maine—York and Cumberland counties and the Midcoast. Interviews and data also indicate that communities in southern Maine are least dependent on the lobster industry for their socioeconomic well-being.
The development of these indicators lay the foundation for increased monitoring of the state’s lobster industry, but researchers are looking for more data to better use the indicators. While coastal access and operational status indicators were considered data-rich, personal spending and physical and mental health were considered data-poor due to the lack of public, diverse and unaggregated data. Diverse but insufficiently data-based metrics that were considered data-limited included business investment, community structure, financial health, and risk taking.
Sharing additional data with private businesses and government agencies will improve the utility of many socioeconomic indicators and expand insight into the well-being of the industry and the communities it supports. Future research may also reveal additional ways to use the indicators, including serving as a model for monitoring other fisheries such as clams and cod.
“This research will help researchers and regulators understand the connection between the biological condition of the resource and the socio-economic well-being of the industry and the communities it serves,” said study co-author Kathleen Reardon, senior lobster biologist. “Will provide valuable data for.” At Maine Department of Marine Resources.
In addition to Reardon and Burnham, the study was co-authored by UMaine marine policy master’s student Joel Kilchenman; Carla Guenther, chief scientist at the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries; and Maggie O’Shea, Dartmouth College Ph.D. student.
More information:
Theresa Lyu Burnham et al, Socioeconomic Indicators of Resilience in Maine’s American Lobster Fisheries, maritime policy (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106543
Citation: Research team develops more holistic way to monitor lobster industry (2025, January 22) Retrieved on January 22, 2025, from https://phys.org/news/2025-01-team-holistic-lobster-industry.html to be done
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