Most lobster fisheries are characterized by high exploitation rates. This has led to substantial declines in the size structures of the populations over time as larger lobsters have been removed. Although both scientists and fishers have suggested that size related hierarchies could impact on lobsters entering traps, the effect of the size change on the selectivity of lobster traps as a population's size structure changes has not been investigated. This paper demonstrates that larger lobsters affect the entrapment of smaller lobsters and that this behaviour affects the selectivity of lobster traps. Both spatial and temporal (within season) factors were found to affect the selectivity plots. Spatial differences in selectivity were attributed to the broader size range of larger lobsters found in regions of faster growth. Temporal differences were attributed to the decline in larger lobsters over the course of a season caused by exploitation. There are also differences in trap selectivity between the sexes.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Research Group:	Fisheries Sciences
Research Field:	Aquatic Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment
Objective Division:	Animal Production and Animal Primary Products
Objective Group:	Fisheries - Wild Caught
Objective Field:	Fisheries - Wild Caught not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Frusher, SD (Professor Stewart Frusher)
ID Code:	23303
Year Published:	2001
Web of Science® Times Cited:	34
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2001-08-01
Last Modified:	2011-09-27
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