Recreational survey data indicates decades of overfishing of European lobster (Homarus gammarus)

Abstract

Marine recreational fishing (MRF) is a popular outdoor activity that contributes substantially to total harvest in many coastal stocks, yet it is rarely integrated into stock assessments and its impact on target stocks is often unknown. For the red-listed European lobster ( Homarus gammarus ) in Norway , we applied two probabilistic off-site survey methods (diary and recall) to estimate participation, effort, harvest rates and total harvest across regions. The effects of accounting for MRF were then evaluated in a stock assessment model. The recall method achieved higher response rates and resulted in slightly lower harvest estimates than the diary survey. When combined with a mandatory national registration system, these methods enabled cost-efficient and representative estimation of total harvest. Recreational fishers accounted for 71–90% of total lobster removals, confirming their dominant role in the fishery. If recreational harvest was not accounted for, the stock status was overestimated, while current fishing pressure was significantly underestimated. Our findings demonstrate that excluding MRF can mask unsustainable exploitation of an overexploited stock and hinder effective management. We show that combining registration with low-burden methods provides practical and reliable foundation for incorporating MRF into stock assessments, a first step towards achieving sustainable coastal fisheries management. Graphical abstract

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