Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia

Puerulus settlement has been monitored throughout the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus fishery for nearly 40 years. These data, in combination with indices of effort and water temperature, were used to produce recruitment-catch relationships for each 1° transect of latitude in the coastal part...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: De Lestang, S., Caputi, N., Smith, Roy
Format: Journal Article
Published: The Royal Society of New Zealand 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16827
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author De Lestang, S.
Caputi, N.
Smith, Roy
author_facet De Lestang, S.
Caputi, N.
Smith, Roy
author_sort De Lestang, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Puerulus settlement has been monitored throughout the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus fishery for nearly 40 years. These data, in combination with indices of effort and water temperature, were used to produce recruitment-catch relationships for each 1° transect of latitude in the coastal part of this fishery from Kalbarri to Cape Leeuwin, as well as at the offshore Abrolhos Islands (total of eight transects). The fine spatial scales of these models provided estimates of certain life history traits that are known to affect lobster catches between adjacent fishing ports. This catch modelling showed that the proportions of 3- and 4-year-old post-settlement lobsters contributing to the catches varied markedly from the southern to northern transects, suggesting that juvenile lobsters grow substantially faster in the warmer northern and offshore waters of this fishery. These proportions provide accurate estimates of juvenile growth rates, which are vital in the construction of location-specific growth algorithms required by the age-structured models used in the management of this fishery.Model estimates of density-dependent mortality were greater in the more densely populated centre of the fishery and markedly lower at the northern and southern limits of this species distribution. Annual increases in fishing efficiency were also found to be lowest at the northern and southern extremes of the fishery and greatest in the centre of the fishery, where technology advances and increased fleet mobility have enabled the fleet to increase efficiency by 1–3% each year. Catchability (q) was found to be most influenced by water temperatures in the cooler southern transects, whereas at the Abrolhos Islands, changes in water temperature produced almost no discernible change in q. The catch modelling was also used to quantify the impact of management changes introduced in the 1993/94 fishing season. Increased protection of female lobsters and an 18% pot reduction resulted in a 3–4% permanent reduction in the catch rates of lobsters throughout most of the coastal fishery, whereas at the offshore Abrolhos Islands, catch rates increased by c. 20%, presumably owing to a reduction in the level of pot saturation.
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publishDate 2009
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-168272017-09-13T15:42:02Z Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia De Lestang, S. Caputi, N. Smith, Roy rock lobster water temperature catch modelling Puerulus settlement has been monitored throughout the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus fishery for nearly 40 years. These data, in combination with indices of effort and water temperature, were used to produce recruitment-catch relationships for each 1° transect of latitude in the coastal part of this fishery from Kalbarri to Cape Leeuwin, as well as at the offshore Abrolhos Islands (total of eight transects). The fine spatial scales of these models provided estimates of certain life history traits that are known to affect lobster catches between adjacent fishing ports. This catch modelling showed that the proportions of 3- and 4-year-old post-settlement lobsters contributing to the catches varied markedly from the southern to northern transects, suggesting that juvenile lobsters grow substantially faster in the warmer northern and offshore waters of this fishery. These proportions provide accurate estimates of juvenile growth rates, which are vital in the construction of location-specific growth algorithms required by the age-structured models used in the management of this fishery.Model estimates of density-dependent mortality were greater in the more densely populated centre of the fishery and markedly lower at the northern and southern limits of this species distribution. Annual increases in fishing efficiency were also found to be lowest at the northern and southern extremes of the fishery and greatest in the centre of the fishery, where technology advances and increased fleet mobility have enabled the fleet to increase efficiency by 1–3% each year. Catchability (q) was found to be most influenced by water temperatures in the cooler southern transects, whereas at the Abrolhos Islands, changes in water temperature produced almost no discernible change in q. The catch modelling was also used to quantify the impact of management changes introduced in the 1993/94 fishing season. Increased protection of female lobsters and an 18% pot reduction resulted in a 3–4% permanent reduction in the catch rates of lobsters throughout most of the coastal fishery, whereas at the offshore Abrolhos Islands, catch rates increased by c. 20%, presumably owing to a reduction in the level of pot saturation. 2009 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16827 10.1080/00288330909510013 The Royal Society of New Zealand unknown
spellingShingle rock lobster
water temperature
catch modelling
De Lestang, S.
Caputi, N.
Smith, Roy
Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia
title Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia
title_full Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia
title_fullStr Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia
title_full_unstemmed Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia
title_short Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia
title_sort using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of panulirus cygnus along the west coast of australia
topic rock lobster
water temperature
catch modelling
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16827