Why it matters
Settlement is one of the clearest early indicators of future recruitment. If fewer young lobsters settle successfully, legal-size abundance can weaken years later.
Settlement
The point in the lobster life cycle when postlarvae leave the water column and establish themselves on the seafloor.
Definition
Settlement happens after lobster larvae finish their pelagic stages and drop into shallow cobble habitat to begin benthic life on the bottom.
Conservation impact
Maine DMR’s settlement survey uses scuba and suction sampling in shallow cobble habitat to track young-of-year lobster density. Those signals help managers spot whether warming and habitat changes are threatening the next cohort before it reaches the fishery.
Quick facts
- Life stage
- Postlarvae to young-of-year bottom settlers
- Survey habitat
- Cobble habitat shallower than 5 fathoms
- Management use
- Early recruitment warning signal
Related reading
Climate Change and Lobster Migration: How Warming Oceans Are Reshaping Populations
As the Gulf of Maine warms at three times the global ocean average, American lobster populations are undergoing dramatic geographic shifts. GMRI's 2024 data shows the region recorded its 12th-warmest year, with scientists now predicting populations will decline to early 2000s levels within 30 years. Here is what the science says.