A new study could help authorities better anticipate changes affecting the island’s lobster population and support the long-term management of the fishery sector.

The collaborative study by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences saw researchers analysing the department’s long-term fisheries records, satellite data and ocean observations collected by ASU BIOS.

The index can help DENR to identify changing conditions earlier and consider appropriate management responses.

The teams examined how conditions in the wider North Atlantic Ocean affect the number of young lobsters reaching local waters.

The study, which was published in the scientific journal Communications Earth & Environment, was led by researcher Leocadio Blanco-Bercial of ASU BIOS, in collaboration with DENR’s marine resources staff

Bermuda’s lobster catch has declined over the past decade despite longstanding management measures that support fishery sustainability, including protections for breeding females and juvenile lobsters, BIOS said.

Since lobster larvae spend nine months in the open ocean before the juveniles settle in coastal habitats, local regulations cannot protect them.

The larvae survival depends on “favourable ocean conditions” and sourcing enough plankton to feed on.

Using the data, researchers developed an index to track changes in ocean conditions and the plankton food chain and link those changes to the supply of larvae available to replenish Bermuda’s spiny lobster population.

The index explained changes in lobster catch rates better than predictions based on previous catch levels, ocean temperature or other available environmental measures.

Jaché Adams, the Minister of Public Works and Environment, said: “Bermuda’s fisheries are important economically and culturally, and we have a responsibility to ensure they are managed sustainably for future generations.

“Research like this gives us a better understanding of how wider changes affect our local marine environment and provides our technical team with additional information to help manage our resources.”

Lead author Blanco-Bercial, associate professor in the Arizona State University’s School of Ocean Futures, said the most exciting aspect of the work is “combining data from Bermuda’s fishermen and fisheries with long-term observations from BATS and satellite imagery”.

The study demonstrates how collaboration can leverage decades of scientific, environmental and fisheries data to create a practical tool that assists resource managers, BIOS said.

“Sustainable fisheries management depends on understanding not only what is happening within the fishery, but also the environmental conditions that affect our fishery species,” Tammy Warren, senior marine resources officer at DENR said.

“As our ocean changes, integrating different types of evidence will become increasingly important to making informed management decisions.”

Joanna Pitt of DENR said, “Most fishery monitoring is based on looking at changes in the catch after those changes have happened.

“The major benefit of this index is that it can give us some advanced warning of changes that are affecting the early life stages of the spiny lobster, so that we can be prepared to adjust our management approaches.”

The complex life cycle of the spiny lobster presents a variety of management challenges and as such the new index is not intended to replace existing fishery monitoring or management tools, BIOS said.

However, it said the tool can complement existing approaches, improve forecasts and support more ecosystem-based fisheries management.