We have received funding from the NS Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, from ECBC and from the Student Employment Program of the NS Economic and Rural Development. In LFA27, there are 3 students collecting at-sea samples for the LFA27
Management Board. 2 of the students are hired by the Fishermen and
Scientists Research Society (FSRS) and one by the LFA27 Management
Board. They are all going out on lobster boats from Bay St. Lawrence to
Louisbourg and sampling everything caught in the traps -- from
undersized lobster to berried females and everything in between. They
take size measurements and sex them. They are also noting by-catch -- we
don't have much by-catch here, but have no proof. Their work for the
FSRS is the lobster node project -- sampling of berried females. Each
berried female is measured and the eggs are staged and comments are
noted. Alice Gaudet: From Smokey to Bay St. Lawrence and onHello my name is Alice Gaudet and I am one of the new fisheries
technicians for LFA 27 Management Board and the Fisheries and Scientist
Research Society. I was a bit late coming on board but am extremely
happy that circumstances brought me to this important work. I am from
Meteghan, Digby County, N.S. and I am covering the area of Bay St.
Lawrence to Smokey. It is a great opportunity for me to explore the
beauty that is Cape Breton. After the lobster season I will continue
working sampling lobster larvae in False Bay. I have completed my
first year of a 2 year Fisheries & Wildlife Technician diploma
program at the College of the North Atlantic in Corner Brook,
Newfoundland. I will be returning there in September to complete my
studies. This opportunity to apply some of what I have learned in
my course will be invaluable to me. Having a job that permits me to be
outdoors and on the water is like a dream come true. Ben Boutilier: From Little River to Alder PointHello my name is Ben Boutilier and I am one
of the new fisheries technicians for LFA 27. I am from Little Pond, Nova
Scotia, which is in the Florence/Bras d’or area of Cape Breton. For the past
four years I have attended Cape Breton University and I have recently graduated
with a BSc in biology. My main focus of study was on marine and invertebrate
life, along with their behaviours and ecology. While working for the Fishermen and
Scientists Research Society and the LFA27 Management Board, I will be helping with
the Board’s at-sea sampling project as well as the lobster node project and
performing some quality control. I am looking forward to spending the summer
out doors and can’t wait for a fun filled summer.
Kristen MacLeod From South Bar to LouisbourgHello
everyone! My name is Kristen MacLeod and this summer I am working for the LFA27
Management Board and the Fishermen and Scientists Research Society (FSRS) as a
Fisheries Technician. I
am from River Ryan and I have just completed my second year towards my Bsc. in
Biology at Cape Breton University. This summer, the Board and FSRS have given
me the opportunity to assist in their research while still getting to enjoy the
great outdoors, which is any biologist’s dream! As
a Fisheries Technician I will be focusing on the Lobster Node Larval Study, the
Lobster Recruitment Project, and At-sea Sampling for the LFA27 Management
Board. So far this job has been very rewarding. I have met some great people
who have been very accommodating and a pleasure to work with. I have already
learned so much from the fishermen partaking in these programs and the season
has only just begun! I
am thrilled to have the opportunity to assist in and contribute to these
studies and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the season will
unfold.
Alice Gaudet is covering the area from Bay St. Lawrence to Smokey. She has come on board recently and will continue after the season to sample lobster larvae in False Bay. The results will be presented at general meetings of the LFA27 Management Board in the fall of 2011. We look forward to your comments!
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