Weak populations of lobster along the Norwegian coast have led to the establishment of a number of conservation areas. There is insufficient documentation of the effect of such conservation measures, particularly in the inner part of the Oslofjord.

Partly because the measures are of a more recent date and partly because of the lack of a monitoring programme. It is important to increase knowledge about how lobster populations respond to protection under the conditions in this area.

We are investigating the effects of fishing bans on the lobsters in the Oslofjord. The overall goal is a more sustainable management of the Norwegian lobster population.

We catch and mark lobsters in the waters outside of Drøbak, and compare areas with and without protection. Fishing bans give us a good opportunity to look at the development in the different parts of the lobster population and evaluate the conservation measures.

Preliminary results from the project were published in May 2023 in a scientific report in Norwegian, titled "Cod and lobster in the inner Oslofjord: Effects of conservation measures" [NOR: "Torsk og hummer i indre Oslofjord: Effekter av vernetiltak"].

The report consists of data compiled from several projects and master's theses, partly funded by NMBU and partly funded by Finn Jørgen Walvig's Foundation (2020 and 2021), and The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries (from 2022).

For more information, please contact one of our researchers (see below).

Learn more about how the researchers determine the age of the lobsters in this video where master's student Erik Sandertun Røed explains: