Abstract

The Caribbean lobster, Metanephrops binghami, is a crustacean of the family Nephropidae, which, in spite of its wide distribution in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, and its potential economic importance, has not been studied in Venezuela. As a contribution to the knowledge of this species, 250 individuals were analyzed, after being captured in exploratory fishing trawls in the continental slope of the northeastern region of Venezuela, at depths between 200 to 400 m, on board of the Norwegian R/V Dr. FRIDJOF NANSEN. The size range varied between 78 and 206 mm TL, with a mean size of 143 mm (1,58 S.D). Most of the individuals (79%) were in the range 110-170 mm; from the remaining, 13% had sizes beyond this range and 8% had sizes below of this range. The length-weight relationships for females and males, respectively, were estimated as: W=4.094x 10-6 xTL3.2345 and W=4.534x10-6xTL3.2330. In both cases the relative growth factor was significantly greater than 3 (P<0.05). Sex ratio did not deviate significantly (P>0.05) from the expected value (1:1). Mean fecundity was 326 eggs/female ( 22.2 S.D.), with a range of 102-780 eggs/female. The c.p.u.e. varied between 0,4 and 6 Kg/h trawl, with greater values during the trips performed in the second semester of the year. Considering the observed size structure and c.p.u.e., it is concluded that this resource, in the study area, has potential for an economic exploitation.

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