Citation

Reid-Musson E, Neis B, Finnis J. Maritime Stud. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s40152-021-00256-9

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Lobster fishing has become a cornerstone of commercial fisheries in Atlantic Canada, but there is limited research on safety in this fishery. The season openings of lobster fisheries are often associated with spikes in emergency incidents because vessels are heavily loaded with traps and there is often a rush to claim preferred fishing grounds. This paper used a case study approach of existing social research on lobster fishing practices to explore how regionally variable local and customary management systems across Atlantic Canada mediate fishing safety, through a focus on lobster season openings. Additional key informant interviews with fishing representatives were also conducted. The findings demonstrate how local management regimes, often considered in research on ecological and social fisheries sustainability but rarely in fishing safety literature, are a macro-determinant of occupational risk for fish harvesters. Mitigating measures developed by harvester organizations and unions have helped alleviate competition for preferred lobster grounds. As commercial lobster fishing activities are likely to continue shifting northward and further offshore to areas in the North Atlantic where there is a lack of local, informal, or customary management, the research points to the potential for safety risks to lobster harvesters which should be anticipated and addressed.

Language: en