Spiny lobster Panulirus argus and Panulirus laevicauda (Latreille) on the Caribbean coast of Columbia with particular references to their biology and the fisheries for both species on the coast of the Guajira Peninsula.

Riveros-Celis, German (1972) Spiny lobster Panulirus argus and Panulirus laevicauda (Latreille) on the Caribbean coast of Columbia with particular references to their biology and the fisheries for both species on the coast of the Guajira Peninsula. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (7MB)

Abstract

The Colombian Government and its FAO Project for Marine Fisheries Development included in its plans for research the biology of spiny lobsters to determine among other things the minimum legal size at which they could be fished. This study was done on the Guajira coast where statistics of catched showed them to be the most abundant in Colombia. -- The objective of the study was to know more about the biology of the species in this area, and to establish a minimum legal size limit as a safeguard until at least first maturity was reached. -- The hydrographic data considered were temperature, current systems (especially near Cabo de la Vela), because in this area there was good fishing for lobster and apparently a nursery for lobsters. The temperature and salinities remained constant throughout the year. The length weight relationships for males and females showed that males became larger than females, and that the weight increase was 3.47 times, but in the females weight did not quite reach the cube of the tail length. On the other hand, from moulting data it is possible to say they reached a 32% increase in weight in one moult. -- Maturity studies showed that embryogenesis was approximately equal to oogenesis and there were apparently three main spawning peaks in a year (August, September, and January; Fig. 7). -- According to the data gathered during the sampling period, 65 rom was the carapace length for first maturity, and between 80 to 90 mm the largest size group. -- It was found that the rate of growth was more accelerated in males than in females, there being a difference of 27 mm (approximately) between males and females. -- In some specimens the stomach was examined, but unfortunately was found empty in almost all cases, perhaps due to the method of transport used, but in general the main fragments found were fish bones, crustaceans, and filamentous algae among the most important. -- Of the different places considered as lobster grounds in Colombia, the Guajira area seems to be best, because this place offers at least two nursery areas and because the bottom conditions are favourable in "turtle" grass, sea weeds, rocks, and coral formations.

Actions (login required)

View Item