Any Nova Scotia fisherman who catches lobster in their traps this spring are being encouraged by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to throw some of them back in the sea.

In particular, they want any decorated with a blue ribbon to be returned to the ocean.

The ribbons were attached to certain lobster last summer as part of a large-scale tracking project which aims to monitor movement patterns amid changing ocean conditions and to discern the impact of global warming on sea temperatures.

Previous tracking studies have focused on small, condensed areas. The difference in this case is it encompasses a large stretch of the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, extending from the northern tip of Cape Breton to an area around the city of Halifax.

Biologists tagged around 3,000 lobsters with blue plastic streamer tags last summer before putting them back into the sea.

Any fisherman wo catches one of the lobsters is being encouraged to take a photo of the tag with their smartphone and send it to the department via email or text message.

They have also been asked to send a photo of the navigation screen or their GPS coordinates to show the exact location that the lobster was in when it was caught.

In the past it would have taken months, or even years, to collate the data from such surveys. However, thanks to advances in digital technology, the results can be not only extrapolated quicker, but meaningful action taken faster.

Those same advances help Nova Scotia fishermen play online casinos when they are onshore or are within range, check here for some of the principal operators, as well as the myriad other things they can do with their smartphones.

The survey is part of a wider initiative looking at how changes in the ocean have affected the lobster population. It is not only rising sea temperatures that have an effect. With the lobster population estimated to beat an all-time high, scientists also want to understand if there has been a shift in the relationships between predator and prey.

Those concerned that the tags may cause long-term harm to the lobsters may be assuaged by the fact that the tags are sewn through muscle where the body of the creature meets its tail. And, when the animal; moults, the tag stays with it.

That means that, as long as the lobster stays in the ocean, so should the tag.

Lobster is harvested all along the coast of Nova Scotia by thousands in independent fishermen. The principal means they use to catch them is via baited traps which are placed on the sea bed.

It is the province’s most valuable seafood export, and is primarily shipped live. Their biggest single destination is the US, accounting for nearly 60% of all lobster sold, but other important markets include Europe and Asia.

It has been estimated that, in the past 20 years, the number of lobster landed in Nova Scotia have more than doubled.

Both inshore and offshore lobster fishing areas are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Source: Plato Data Intelligence: PlatoData.io