You can run, but you can't hide!

A lobster awaits return to the water on a lobster trap after a pop-up satellite tag has been attached to its shell. Although we know the lobster within the Bay of Fundy move during the year, we do not know exactly where they go or the conditions they experience. My Ph.D. work is focused on finding this out. Using pop-up satellite tags that record depth and temperature, I will be able to recreate the yearly movement patterns of lobster throughout the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. This will be done for male and female lobsters as well as those bearing eggs. In addition to tracking the movement of the females bearing eggs, I will be able to utilize the egg eye size and water temperature to predict when they will hatch. Knowledge on these migrations and hatch times will allow for an understanding of potential interactions American lobster may have with anthropogenic activities, such as open pen aquaculture, and the conditions they face during their migrations. A special thank you to all fishers who have assisted with this project and my supervisor Dr. Rémy Rochette.