The Flow of Benefits study aims to provide fishing associations with detailed information about the flow of economic benefits from lobster fleets to their communities and the broader Atlantic region. Describing the flow of benefits to coastal communities will make them more visible and help inform decision-making in support of harvester, coastal community, and regional resilience in the face of rapid climate and ecosystem change. 

Recognition of the importance of socio-economic research in general is growing in the lobster industry, and this project was identified as a priority for the CLRN by our industry leadership. Eastern Canada’s coastal communities are critically dependent on the lobster fishery, which is vulnerable to external threats such as climate change, international trade tariffs, global health and environmental disasters that could have significant socio-economic impacts throughout the region. Despite the economic importance of the industry, detailed information about the flow of economic benefits from lobster fleets to coastal communities and the region is lacking, making it difficult to forecast or measure the impact of changes to the fishery on its dependent communities.  

Industry has been aware of the gaps in this data for several years and has been involved in the co-construction of a survey tool to collect socio-economic data from harvesters throughout the Atlantic region. The survey was developed through the Future Oceans and Coastal Infrastructures (FOCI) project (funded by Oceans Frontiers Institute) under the direction of Dr. Paul Foley (Memorial University) and co-constructed with academic and industry partners between 2022 and 2025. It was then given to the CLRN to deliver on behalf of fishing organizations. 

The survey was tested from January to March of 2025 and is being implemented this fall (2025) as a pilot project with four fishing organizations:  

- Brazil Rock Lobster Association 
- Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board (GNSFPB) 
- Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) 
- Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) 

At this time, the survey is only available through the partner organizations and can be completed online or over the phone. For more information, please contact our Social Science Coordinator: Marlene@clrn.ca.