Integrating collaborative data collection with management: A lobster fishery test case

Cost-effective programs for gathering essential fisheries information (EFI) are critically needed toimprove the data-poor state of fisheries in California and worldwide. The California Marine LifeManagement Act (MLMA) recognizes this need and requires development of fishery managementplans (FMPs) that identify suitable protocols for collecting data, and use of the best availablescientific information to inform management. Furthermore, in the United States, several stateand federal laws require the engagement of fishermen and others in fisheries management. Toaddress these needs, we developed a collaborative at-sea sampling program (CASP) by:• determining the key regulatory, administrative and operational features of establishedcollaborative fisheries data collection programs,• developing a robust sampling design with associated protocols for the commercialCalifornia spiny lobster fishery,• designing, testing and modifying data collection and management components of thesampling program, and• exploring options for sustaining the program into the future.The goal of the program was to provide a model for generating an ongoing stream of diverse dataand interpretation for integration into management, thereby supporting use of moresophisticated and robust models for managing California fisheries.We used the California commercial fishery for spiny lobster, for which an FMP is being developed,as a test case. This project built upon earlier work by the co-PIs developing a CASP for California’ssouthern rock crab commercial fishery (Culver et al. 2010) and by Neilson to implement a lobsterfishery data collection program similar to one used in the New Zealand rock lobster fishery