Many lobster fishing area (LFA) 34 fishermen were finding Jonah crab instead of lobster in their traps during the opening month of the six-month season.
“There’s been a lot of female Jonah crabs, a lot of crabs overall,” said Tommy Amirault, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association. “I’m not sure what the reasoning is but there is definitely a lot of crabs.”
In LFAs 33, 34 and 35, Jonah crab is frequently captured in lobster traps and bycatch rates are generally high in the lobster fishery in LFAs 33 and 34, compared to other LFAs, said Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) communications advisor Christine Lyons.
“Jonah crab is both a commercially licensed fishery, as well as a common incidental catch of the inshore lobster fishery. Incidentally caught Jonah crab cannot be retained in LFAs 32 and 33. Male Jonah crab with carapace width of 130 mm or greater may be retained in LFAs 34 to 38, and may be sold or used as bait,” said Lyons.
Jonah crab have traditionally been fished as incidental catch (bycatch) and in intermittent directed commercial fisheries in LFAs 32 to 38, said Lyons, adding commercial fishery activity has declined in most fishing areas due to market demand issues. In 2023, the shore price was around 90 cents per pound, with an average price between 50 cents to $1.00 over the past two decades.
“A limited-entry commercial fishery does continue in the Maritimes Region. Licences continue to be issued for LFAs 32, 33, 34 and 38; there is no fishery at this time in LFA 36. The commercial fishery for Jonah crab is managed through effort controls. There are also Jonah crab licences in LFA 41,” said Lyons.
At-sea data collection programs are underway in several inshore lobster fisheries throughout the region, said Lyons. “In 2022, data collected was used to generate estimates of incidental catch of Jonah crab in LFAs 33 to 35. These estimates ranged from approximately 500 to 3,100 tonnes of Jonah crab encountered annually in each LFA.”
Lyons said DFO intends to analyze data collected to determine whether the incidental catch of Jonah crab is changing.
“Overall, our oceans have become warmer, more acidic and less oxygenated due to climate change and human activity. These changes have a direct impact on where marine species live, what they eat and how they grow and develop — in coastal areas and deep offshore waters,” said Lyons. “Increases in temperatures can have significant impacts on the distribution and behavior of marine species.”
Warmer temperatures may lead to a shift in the distribution of species and might affect preferences for spawning, feeding and migration, said Lyons. “Temperature plays a crucial role in the reproduction and early life stages of many marine species. Warming temperatures may influence the abundance and distribution of prey species.”
