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This seminar presented the methods used and results
obtained in a $55,000 DMR-funded study conducted during the summer and
early-fall of 2005 in Casco Bay. In the study, video recordings were made of
the bottom and lobsters and burrows counted along selected transects
established in six zones within Casco Bay extending from Lannes Island to
Jewel Island. Burrow water and sediment quality were also measured to allow
comparison of general habitat quality between zones. Additionally, monthly
water column profiles were taken at 17 stations located along a 16-nautical
mile transect that extended from Lannes Island, through Broad Sound, and
offshore out to a depth of almost 300 feet. Results of the study indicate
that there is no significant difference between water and sediment quality
and the density of lobsters within and between the areas covered by the
study. Furthermore, results of the water and sediment quality tests indicate
that the conditions in all areas covered by the study are well within the
tolerable limits of lobsters. Interestingly, although temperature and
salinity were stable for most of the summer and early fall, the water column
became completely mixed in October top-to-bottom as well as
inshore-to-offshore. This mixing of the water coincided with a reported rise
in catch compared to the earlier catch in the Bay.
Host: David
Etnier, Maine Dept. of Marine Resources |
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