CONTENTS 



Page 



1 . Introduction 1 



II. Biology of American Lobsters 2 



A. Range and Distribution 2 



B. Environment 2 



C. Food 3 



D. Migration ^ 



E. Life History ^ 



F. Growth and Mortality Rates 5 



G. Disease, Pollution, and Predation 8 



III. Population Dynamics 12 



A. The Available Biomass 12 



B. Recruitment 13 



C. Yield, Fishing Effort, and Seawater Temperature 13 



D. Dynamic Pool Models 16 



E. The Overcapitalization of the Fishery 17 



IV. Economic Relationships 18 



A. The Growth in the Demand for Lobsters, 1950-69 18 



B. Distribution of Lobsters 18 



C. Regional Consumption of Lobsters 18 



D. Costs and Earnings of Lobster Boats 19 



E. Supply Relationships 23 



F. Labor Force Characteristics 25 



V. Bioeconomic Simulation of the Fishery 27 



A. The Nature of the Model 27 



B. The Use of the Model 28 



VI. Policy Considerations 28 



A. Existing Regulations 28 



B. Economic Impact of Some Selected Alternative Management 



Schemes 30 



C. Social Problems Created by Various Management Schemes . 33 

 VII. Conclusions 35 



VIII. Literature Cited 36 



Appendix A: Technical Description of the General Resource Use Model. 38 

 Appendix B: Economic and Environmental Variables Associated with 



the Maine American Lobster Fishery, 1897-1906, 1924, and 1928-1972 42 



Appendix C: Age of Maine Lobster Fishermen 43 



Appendix D: Economic and Environmental Variables Associated with 

 the Canadian-American Lobster Fishery (Newfoundland to New 



York). 1939-71 43 



Appendix E: Ranking (Lowest Average Cost to Highest Average Cost 



per Unit of Output) of Sample Lobstermen 44 



Appendix F: Parametric Assumptions Used to Generate Relation be- 

 tween Yield Per Recruit and Fishing Mortality 44 



Figures 



1 . North American average lobster landings, 1956-60 2 



2. Diagram of female lobster 4 



3. Accumulations of pesticides in lobsters 10 



4. Bubbles in the gill separators of a lobster 12 



5. Relations between numbers of traps and landings, Newfoundland to 



New York, and Boothbay Harbor temperature (°C), 1939-71 14 



6. Relation between catch and fishing effort (traps) for the inshore 

 American lobster fishery, 1905-72 16 



7. Actual and predicted landings of Maine lobsters, 1905-06, 1924, and 



1928-70 1'^ 



iii 



