New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Direct impacts of commercial and recreational fishing on spiny lobster, Panulirus
interruptus, populations at Santa Catalina Island, California, United States
Matthew Iacchei
Patrick Robinson
Kathy Ann Miller*
Wrigley Marine Science Center
Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies
University of Southern California
1 Big Fisherman Cove
Avalon, CA 90704
United States
*Present address: University Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley,
CA 94720 United States. email: kathyannmiller@berkeley.edu
Abstract The California spiny or red rock lobster, Panulirus
interruptus,
is an ecologically and economically important species that has been exploited
since the 1800s. No previous study in California has assessed the impacts of
the recreational or commercial lobster harvest. Before the 2003–04 commercial
and recreational lobster seasons, we conducted a fishery-independent trap survey
at Santa Catalina Island to document the impact of the lobster fisheries on
the size structure, abundance, and sex ratios of mature P.
interruptus (>65 mm
carapace length (CL)). We concurrently sampled a predominantly commercially
fished area, a recreationally fished area, and a 23-year-old invertebrate no-take
(INT) reserve. Relative to the INT reserve, legal-size lobsters in the recreational
area were similar in CL, but 31% less abundant. Legal-size lobsters in the
commercial area were 8% smaller and 70% less abundant than those in the INT
reserve. The sex ratio of legal-size lobsters, although near 50:50 in the recreational
and INT reserve areas, was male-dominated (67:33) in the commercial area. Differences
in CPUE and mean CL of sub-legal lobsters in the recreational and commercial
areas suggest that factors in addition to harvesting pressure may affect these
populations. Total biomass of mature lobsters in the recreational and commercial
areas was 92% and 45%, respectively, of biomass in the INT reserve. Fecundity
in the recreational and commercial areas was 83% and 42%, respectively, of
fecundity in the INT reserve. This study provides preliminary data for future
ecological studies and fisheries management evaluations.
Keywords Panulirus interruptus; spiny lobster; recreational fishery;
commercial fishery; marine protected area; marine reserve; trap survey; Santa
Catalina Island
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research,
2005, Vol. 39: 1201–1214
0028–8330/05/3906–1201 © The Royal
Society of New Zealand 2005
M04076; Online publication date 9 November 2005
Received 31 March 2004; accepted 15 April 2005
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