The American Lobster in a Changing Ecosystem: A US-Canada Science Symposium: November 27-30, 2012

Save the date for this MIT Sea Grant cosponsored event in Maine The status of the American lobster over the last decade is a story of contrasts. While lobster numbers from the Gulf of Maine northward have climbed to historic highs, southern New England has been plagued by disease and mass mortality. Coastal communities in Atlantic Canada and Maine are more dependent on the lobster fishery than ever before. For the first time, southern New England harvesters face a moratorium on lobster fishing. Fundamental changes have occurred over the past few decades in the climate and food web of the Northwest Atlantic, as well as the economics of fishing. After decades of relative stability in the fishery, we need to improve our understanding of Homarus americanus in the context of its changing environment. The symposium is timely as fishery managers grapple with how to integrate traditional single-species management with the mandate for ecosystem-based approaches, and because major research initiatives are generating interesting results across the species' range. The symposium will be a forum for new findings, aiming to identify region-wide research gaps and priorities, and catalyze new research collaborations. For more information, including applications for student travel awards, agenda, registration, hotel and venue, please visit: http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/lobster-symposium