Application of benthic imaging to improve production capacity in the Nova Scotian Sea Cucumber Fishery

最近大西洋加拿大海参渔业的增长使其成为世界上第四大野生海参生产国。加拿大渔业中最大的生产商之一是Ocean Pride Fisheries，这是一家新斯科舍省的公司，拥有在新斯科舍省几大片海域进行商业捕捞海参的独家权利。该公司开发了干海参的国际市场，在新斯科舍省的韦奇波特拥有90名员工。人们对海参的种群动态知之甚少，海洋骄傲渔业有限的信息对于确定可持续捕捞策略并不理想。海参是一种底栖棘皮动物，由于种群增长缓慢、聚集密集、可预测、价值高，在全球范围内被过度开发。为了妥善管理他们的海参资源，海洋骄傲渔业需要比目前可用的更多的信息。在这项研究中，阿卡迪亚大学的研究人员与马萨诸塞大学海洋科学与技术学院（SMAST）和海洋骄傲渔业的研究人员合作，将使用一种经过验证的跌落相机调查方法来估算新斯科舍省海参的绝对丰度。海岸生态学实验室拥有学生资源，以及动物运动、分布和渔业丰度独立测量领域的专业知识。阿卡迪亚大学海岸生态实验室、SMAST和工业合作伙伴之间的合作将增加公司在商业相关规模上进行创新和调查的机会。如果不能解决海参生态学方面的知识缺口，海洋骄傲渔业公司将难以为其国际市场可持续地收获海参。该项目将涉及与利益相关者和技术团队的重要互动，以确保结果是相关的，并且可以快速集成到收获策略中。

Recent growth in the Atlantic Canadian sea cucumber fishery has made it the fourth largest producer of wild-caught sea cucumbers in the world. One of the largest producers in the Canadian fishery is Ocean Pride Fisheries, a Nova Scotian company with exclusive rights to commercially harvest sea cucumbers in several large areas off of Nova Scotia. The company has developed international markets for dried sea cucumber and employs 90 people in Wedgeport, Nova Scotia. Population dynamics of sea cucumber are poorly understood and the limited information available to Ocean Pride Fisheries is not ideal for defining a sustainable harvest strategy. Sea cucumbers are benthic echinoderms with a global history of over exploitation due to slow population growth, dense, predictable aggregations, and high value. To properly manage their sea cucumber resource, Ocean Pride Fisheries needs more information than is currently available. In this study, researchers at Acadia University, in collaboration with researchers at University of Massachusetts School of Marine Sciences and Technology (SMAST) and Ocean Pride Fisheries will use a proven drop camera survey method to produce absolute abundance estimates for sea cucumber off Nova Scotia. The Coastal Ecology lab has student resources, and expertise in the areas of animal movement, distribution, and fisheries independent measures of abundance. Collaboration between the Coastal Ecology Lab at Acadia University, SMAST and the industrial partner will enhance the company's opportunity to innovate and perform surveys at a commercially relevant scale. Failure to address knowledge gaps in sea cucumber ecology will make it difficult for Ocean Pride Fisheries to sustainably harvest sea cucumbers for their international markets. This project will involve significant interaction with the stakeholder and technical team to ensure that results are relevant and can be rapidly integrated into harvest strategies.