Volume 53
Movement Patterns of Tagged Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus argus, on the Bermuda Platform
Authors
Luckhurst, B.E.; Trott, T.M.; Simmons, N.; Manuel, S. Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: 2002
Pages: 76-82
Event: Proceedings of the Fifty Third Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Fort Pierce, Florida
Country: USA
Abstract
A tagging program for spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) commenced in April 1997 using mainly sub-legal sized (<92mm CL) lobsters obtained from commercial trap fishers during the lobster open season (September 1- March 31). As of October 2000, a total of 576 lobsters have been tagged with Floy anchor T-bar tags.There have been 51 recaptures of tagged lobsters to date for a recapture rate of 8.9 %. The longest distance (point-to-point) moved by a recaptured lobster was 45.9 km which is essentially the length of the long axis (NE toSW) of the Bermuda Reef plataform. Similar movements by other recaptured lobster demonstrate that movements of this magnitude occur in both directions on the plataform. All recaptured except one have been reported by a reacreational lobster drive. The maen straight-line distance travelled by all recaptured lobsters regardless of time at liberty was 12.2 (± 11.4,SD)km. The range of days at liberty was 9-700 days with a mean value of 294 (± 168 SD) days. The assessment of movement patterns of spiny lobsters is an important element in the management of the limited entry lobster fishery because of the use of defined trapping areas on the reef platform as an integral part of the management program.