Comparison of dorsal and ventral tag retention in western rock lobsters, Panulirus cygnus (George)

Abstract

Over 13000 western rock lobsters double-tagged in Western Australia with dorsal and ventral tags between 1992 and 1995 have been recaptured. Ventral tags suffered significantly less damage over time (P < 0.001) than did dorsal tags. Dorsal tag durability was significantly less (P <0.001) for lobsters in shallow (<37 m) than deep (>37 m) water. Furthermore, dorsal tags returned from the Abrolhos Islands showed substantially more mutilation and loss than did those from the coast (P < 0.001), and even within the coastal areas there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between management zones. Tag durability was less in areas of high lobster density than low, but was not influenced by the sex or size of the animals.