than 100 km out of I, IS, and were caught on the edge of the continental shelf (Block and Hudson 

 canyons). 



9. Ixjbster larvae entrainment studies conducted in 1984-85 provided better estimates of entrainment 

 losses than estimates made from ichthyoplankton samples. More lobster larvae were collected in night 

 samples than in day samples. Higher numbers of lobster larvae in night samples were related to larval 

 behavior and intake structure design. 



10. Since 1975, an estimated 1 1,359 lobsters were caught on the intake traveling screens at MNPS. Since 

 it began operating at Unit 1, a fish return system improved the overall survival of impinged lobsters. 



CONCLUSION 



Results from our studies indicated that the local lobster population is highly exploited; more than 

 90% of legal lobsters are removed by fishing. The commercial and recreational catches were highly 

 dependent on the number of lobsters in the prerecruit size class. Because lobsters require at least 4 years 

 of growth before they are vulnerable to our traps, and an additional 2-3 years to reach marketable size, 

 there is a lag of about 6 years between the time of a potential impact on larvae and the time at which we 

 can detect that impact. Therefore, plant induced impacts or lack thereof on larval stages that may have 

 occurred since 1975 might have been observed in the adults caught in our traps beginning in 1981-82; yet, 

 thus far, the data do not indicate such a stress. Dredging activities in the vicinity of the intakes displaced 

 lobsters from that area; however, lobsters are expected to return soon after the sediments have stabilized. 



The sensitivity of our program in defining population trends (i.e., observing the strong prerecruit class 

 in 1982) and impacts (displacement of lobsters as a result of dredging) is vital to our evaluation of impacts 

 associated with the operation of three units at Millstone Point. If changes occur in the local lobster 

 population, they will be detected by the alteration of the basic population parameters now being collected. 

 The stability of these parameters after the start up of Unit 3 will demonstrate the effects (if any) of MNPS 

 operations on the local lobster population. 



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