Fishery management plan for the spiny lobster fishery of puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands
Description of the Economic and Social Environment
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5.3 Description of the Economic and Social Environment5.3.1 IntroductionLobsters belong to the order Decapoda, which includes lobsters, crayfish, shrimps, and crabs. All decapods possess a complete carapace and five pairs of legs. The first three pairs are modified into feeding legs, and the first two of these feeding appendages are larger than the others and are used to grasp and manipulate food and serve for defense (ibid.) Lobsters have long “tails” or a long abdominal section that distinguishes them from other decapods. There are two types of lobsters: 1) “true” or “clawed” lobsters (infraorder Astacidia) and 2) spiny/rock lobsters (infraorder Palinura) (Bliss, 1982). “True” lobsters have two large front claws and a rigid, hard-shelled tail fan (ibid.). Spiny/rock lobsters lack the large front claws and have a thick, muscular tail with a tail fan adapted for swimming (ibid.). Volume 50, Part 640 of the Code of Federal Regulations (50 CFR 640.2) defines spiny (or “rock”) lobster as the species Panulirus argus, which is known as Caribbean spiny lobster. It is typically found on the seafloor in temperate, semitropical, and tropical waters (Cascorbi, 2005). The Caribbean spiny lobster’s range is from Bermuda to Brazil, and it is found in U.S. federal and state waters in the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Florida and in the Gulf of New Mexico. See Figure 5.3.1. Mitochondrial DNA analysis suggests that P. argus may consist of two subspecies, one off Brazil and the second in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico (Sarver et al., 1998); yet, the Brazilian subspecies has also been found in genetic samples from Florida (FAO 2007). Evidence suggests the three major centers of exploitation (two in the western Caribbean and one off Brazil) are linked through recruitment and cannot be treated independently (FAO 2007). DNA analysis indicates a single stock structure for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Lipcius and Cobb, 1994; Silberman and Walsh 1994) throughout its range. 
Figure 5.3.1. Geographic Distribution of Caribbean Spiny Lobster. Source: FAO (http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/3445). Caribbean spiny lobsters are found just below the water surface to depths of 1,650 feet. Larvae float in the water column. Post-larvae swim to nearshore environments and settle in dense vegetation, especially among macroalgae. They metamorphose into “algal-stage” juveniles and live within the vegetation until they are about 0.6 to 0.8 inches. They then emerge and take up refuge in crevice shelters provided by large sponges, octocorals (soft corals), and solution holes until they are about 1.4 inches. At about 2 to 3.15 inches, the lobsters begin to move from the inshore nursery habitat to coral reefs and other offshore habitats. Those with a carapace length of about 1 inch can grow about 0.01 to 0.05 inches carapace length per week (FWRI 2007, Forcucci et al. 1994). That growth rate allows some spiny lobsters to reach a carapace length of 3 inches in about 1.5 years after settlement. Spiny lobsters grow by molting, which occurs about 25 times in the first 5 to 7 years of life. Following this cycle, the lobster will weigh approximately one pound and reach minimum legal size. Once a lobster reaches legal minimum size it may only molt once per year and increase about 15 percent in length and 40 percent in weight. Spiny lobster can grow to be 3 feet long or more in overall body length. Typically male lobsters grow faster than females. Most spiny lobster in Florida attain a 3.4 to 3.5 inch carapace length when they are more than 3 years old (FWRI 2007, Muller et al. 1997) In the southeastern U.S., females mature at about 2.75 to 3 inches in carapace length, while in the U.S. Caribbean they mature by 3.6 inches in carapace length. Females have from 500,000 to 1.7 million eggs per spawning. The male deposits sperm packets on the underside of the female and she scratches the packets to release sperm as the eggs are extruded. The fertilized eggs are attached beneath her tail, at which time the female is referred to as “berried.” Eggs hatch in about 4 weeks. In the southeastern U.S. spawning season is from April through October when water temperatures exceed 23o C, while in the U.S. Caribbean it occurs throughout the year. Although settlement of the free-swimming phase occurs year-round, the peak in settlement usually occurs during the spring seasons but sometimes other seasons as well (FWRI 2007, Marx 1986).. In September 2006, the Working Group on Caribbean spiny lobster of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) met in Merida, Mexico, to attend the Regional Workshop on the Assessment and Management of Caribbean Spiny Lobster. The primary objective of the workshop was to “review and update the status of Caribbean spiny lobster resource at national and regional levels to seek regional agreement on strategies to address management problems” (WECAFC 2007, p. 2). At the workshop were representatives from The Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France (Martinique and Guadeloupe), Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Turks and Caicos Islands, United States of America (also representing Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and Venezuela, as well as the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) and Caribbean Regional Fishery Mechanism (CRFM). The estimated status of the national populations of Caribbean spiny lobster of the participating countries is presented in the Table 5.3.1. In keeping with the recommendation to allow about 50 percent of the stock to reach maturity, the national representatives at the workshop agreed to a minimum harvest size of 74 mm (2.91 inches) cephalothorax length. Nations with minimum size limits greater than 76 mm were encouraged to retain the larger minimum size limits because of the additional conservation and economic benefits they provide. Table 5.3.1. Estimated status of national populations of Caribbean spiny lobster of participating countries. Source: WECAFC 2007).
Directory: Beta -> GMFMCWeb -> downloads -> BB%202008-06 BB%202008-06 -> Fishery management plan for the spiny lobster fishery of puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands downloads -> Ulf of mexico fishery management council activity report for mississippi department of marine resources downloads -> Ulf of mexico fishery management council activity report for mississippi department of marine resources downloads -> Goliath Grouper Data Workshop Report downloads -> Tab B, No. 7 Outline for Development of a State-Federal Cooperative Research Program for Goliath Grouper in Florida Report to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management downloads -> Tab c, no. 4 Rick sounds good to me. I would suggest using the most recent tor wording provided by sedar and making any necessary modifications to that wording. Then we will address at our March 2008 meeting. Gregg From downloads -> Ulf of mexico fishery management council activity report for mississippi department of marine resources Download 2.7 Mb. Share with your friends:
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