Lobster Shell Disease in NOAA Northeast Groundfish Surveys 2018 - 2019

(Abstract submitted for 2021 National Shellfish of America virtual meeting Spring 2021)
Joseph G. Kunkel¹, John K. Galbraith², Jakub Kircun², Carl Wilson³ and Kathleen Reardon^3
1 University of New England and UMass Amherst
² NOAA National Marine Fisheries
³ Maine Department of Marine Resources
Epizootic Shell Disease (ESD) have been increasing in Homarus americanus in the Gulf of Maine. To quantify this we surveyed ESD during the NOAA Northeast Groundfish Survey and establish protocol consistency with inshore surveys. Protocol was inserted into the NOAA FSCS sampling routines recording ESD in lobsters using NOAA and volunteer scientists during the two groundfish surveys per year. Each trawl station with lobsters was entirely evaluated or subsampled. Suspect ESD lobsters were barcoded recording metadata: location, sex, carapace length and total weight, noting any loss of legs and chela, whether egg bearing, tail notched, and barnacle presence. Carapace ESD was graded estimating coverage. The barcoded carapace of all ESD(+) were frozen for reevaluation on land and photogrammetry. This resulted in 3-D surface models of the carapace with descriptive metadata for each lobster and identity as true ESD or false(+). Data were found to be consistent with the general observations of prior ESD studies: (1) females were more abundant in the ESD(+) category and typically had a higher level of ESD. (2) Lower ESD(+) was seen in Fall surveys, higher ESD(+) in Spring. We conclude that the female ESD(+) class is substantially undercounted because the level 3 ESD should include deceased female lobsters.

Posted on January 16, 2021 03:43 PM by joekunk