Abstract
Many marine species and ecosystems are overexploited and the necessity to switch to a sustainable and ecosystem based fishery is increasingly recognised. In the north-eastern Atlantic, the Norway lobster fishery is commercially very important. The great majority of the lobsters are caught by bottom trawling, which is a highly intrusive method associated with an array of negative impacts including ecosystem damage and high amounts of discarded bycatch. Fishing for Norway lobsters with baited creels is a recent and a more sustainable alternative to bottom trawling. The manual handling of creels and bait is however very laborious and consequently a decrease in the number of creels needed for the same catch would be a major improvement for the creel fishery. This project aims at studying Norway lobster odour tracking of attractive bait. By using a novel technique (laser-induced fluorescence), I will study instantaneous behavioural responses when odour filaments of various concentrations encounter the chemosensory organs together with the effect of flow regime on odour dispersal and lobster tracking success. Subsequently, a creel will be designed for optimal dispersal of odorants from the bait increasing capture rates of lobsters. Information crucial for the development of artificial bait targeting Norway lobsters will also be provided. The new knowledge will help improving the Norway lobster creel fishery facilitating the transition from bottom trawling to sustainable creeling.
Sweden