Estimating growth of the Spiny Lobsters Panulirus cygnus, P.argus and P. ornatus

Abstract

Growth in three species of spiny lobster-Panulirus cygnus in Western Australia, P. argus in Cuba, and P. ornatus in Torres Strait, Australia-was modelled by using nonlinear random-coefficient models. Approximate confidence intervals about the mean growth curve for carapace length, to include 95% of the population at any age, have been estimated for these models. For both P. ornatus and P. cygnus, similar estimates of growth rate were obtained from both laboratory and field studies. Growth of the two tropical species, P. ornatus and P. argus, was much faster than that of the temperate species P. cygnus. All three species showed high variability in the growth rates of individuals. Microtagging of first-moult post-puerulus juveniles of P. cygnus with 1 mm long × 0.25 mm stainless-steel tags provides the first published field data on the growth of spiny lobsters from the beginning of the benthic period. These data suggest that tagging or handling can decrease the growth rates of spiny lobsters.