Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) movement and population metrics at the

Western Sambo Ecological Reserve (Florida USA)

Rodney Bertelsen, Kerry Maxwell, Tom Matthews, and John Hunt Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

0 40 8020 Kilometers

0 2 4 6 Kilometers

Diver based surveys

81 3081 40

24 30

24 35

0 5 10

Km

N

EW

S

LooeKey

MarylandShoal

PelicanShoal

WesternSambo

EasternSambo

MiddleSambo

Survey SitesMPA Fishery

ForereefBackreefPatch reef

Habitat

Principally conducted during the summer breeding season

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

152015 686 9129N of surveys =

2004-62000-31997-9

CPU

E of

lega

l siz

ed lo

bste

rs (6

0 m

inut

e se

arch

)

Large Reserve (30 km )2Western SamboEcological Reserve

Small Reserves (0.3 to 1.2 km )2

Eastern Sambo Research only, Looe Key

Fished areasMiddle Sambo, Maryland Shoal, and Pelican Shoal

Analysis of varianceHomogeneous groups (post hoc)

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

ABUNDANCE: Legal sized lobsters became significantly more abundant in the large Western Sambo Ecological Reserve and not in the small reserves nor the fishery

Large ReserveWestern Sambo

FishedPelican Shoal,Maryland Shoal

121612 9129N surveys =04-0600-0397-99

90

80

70

Time period

Ca

rap

ac

e le

ng

th (

mm

)

SIZE: Lobsters grew larger within the Western Sambo Ecological Reserve than in the fishery

Acoustic tracking

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Summer 2004Summer 2003

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June 15, 2003July 17, 2003

Shelter

Forage

7pm

1am

5am

7/(12-13)/03

7pm

1am

5am

7/(14-15)/03

7pm

1am

5am10pm

7/(20-21)/03

d

d

5am

7pm

2am

Off

the

grid

7/(21-22)/03

11pm

Lobsters use multiple shelter-forage areas and have a highly accurate navigational capacity

d d d d

dddd

d d d d

dddd

d

d

d

d

>150100-15050-1000-50

Daily shift in location (m)

<75 75-90 90-105 >105Size class (mm CL)

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%Females Males

<75 75-90 90-105 >105Size class (mm CL)

freq

uenc

yA small lobster changes shelters more frequently than a large lobster

Eastern SamboResearch Only size

1 Western Sambo ER = 300 Eastern Sambo RO

Lobster size does not predict forage-shelter area

d

ddddddddddd

ddddddd

dddd

dd

d

d dd

d

d

d

d

dd

dd

d

d

d d

d d d

d

XX

XXX

0 2 4 6 8 10 Kilometers

d = VR2

X = malfunc tioned or lost

= last detec tion

= first detec tion

*

9/01

9/07

9/08

6/9 to 7/31

* = Tagging site

d = VR2

X = malfunc tioned or lost

= last detec tion

= first detec tion

d

ddddddddddd

ddddddd

dddd

dd

d

d dd

d

d

d

d

dd

dd

d

d

d d

d d d

d

0 2 4 6 8 10 Kilometers

d = VR2

X = malfunc tioned or lost

= last detec tion

= first detec tion

* = Tagging site

d = VR2

X = malfunc tioned or lost

= last detec tion

= first detec tion

dd

d

*2/14

2/17

2/19

2/23 to3/09

4/01 to4/03

4/17 to4/19

Nomadic movements are semi-permanent shifts between subregions that take days to complete.

Another movement pattern: Only by reproductively active females(rapid nighttime southward departure followed by a return one week later)

06/19/04 06/24/04 06/30/04 07/06/04 07/12/04 07/18/04 07/23/04

Date

24.490

24.495

24.500

24.505

Latit

ude

Shelterhabitat

Spawninghabitat

Foraginghabitat

5km

Patch reef

Spawning habitat

Foraging habitat

Shelter habitat

06/23/07 07/16/07 08/09/07

Date

24.476

24.480

24.484

24.488

Latit

ude

June 16 July 11 August 4

WSER boundary

1.3km

Fore reef

Spawning habitat

06/18/06 07/11/06 08/03/06

24.4660

24.4680

24.4700

24.4720

24.4740

Date

Latit

ude

June 21 July 14 Aug 8

Foraging and shelter

habitat

1km

Outlier reef

Reproductive migrations occur throughout the WSER

The frequency of brown (late stage) eggs increases with depth. Primary spawning grounds are deep off the forereef and deep outside the outlier reef

42.2%57.8%

30.0%

70.0%

56.4% 41.6%

Male Female

2009 Surveys combined – sex ratios by subregion

The summer surveys typically find more females offshore than inshore. This is due to the reproductive migrations of the females

0 2 4 6 Kilometers

WSE

R B

ound

ary

WSE

R B

ound

ary

Reproductive migrations

v

Shelter-forage area

NomadicMigrations

Patch

Reefs

Western

Sambo

Middle

SamboEastern

Sambo

Outlier reef

Recap of principal lobster movements across the WSER boundary

Spillover

Thank you

P. Barbera, S. Braynard , C. Cox, A. Dahood, D. Eaken, M. Feeley, J. Giganti, M. Hoxie, C. Lewis, T. Matthews, K. Maxwell, K. Miller, R. Netro, B. Sharp, J. Simonds,

and M.A. Tellier. Also, the über-volunteer D. Hawtof

and Brian

Large lobsters appear in Western Sambo after 1997 and then periodically appear in nearby sites such as Middle Sambo and Eastern Sambo