An Investigation of the Potential Benefits of Joint Management of the Lobster and Herring Fisheries in the Gulf of Maine

With few exceptions, fisheries are managed independently, ignoring complex natural and human linkages among them. The American lobster and Atlantic herring fisheries in the Gulf of Maine are subject to human mediated linkages not currently considered in management decisions.  Herring is the main bait used by the lobster fishery and presently, the lobster fishery accounts for the majority of herring demand. In addition, there is evidence that the massive use of herring in lobster traps has increased productivity of the lobster population by supplementing food available to lobsters that feed in traps and escape or are subsequently release.

We couple a bioeconomic model of the Maine lobster fishery with a model of the US Atlantic Herring fishery to explore how overall profitability of the fishery system can be increased by joint management. We also explore how shocks to either fishery such as a drop in recruitment or an economic shock affects the other fishery. The two fishery models are linked through the market for lobster bait and the effect of herring bait on lobster growth. Management and ecological scenarios (TACs and effort controls and recruitment failures respectively) are implemented and the results compared in terms of fishery’s outcome.