Lobster stock enhancement efforts have generally met with limited success owing, in part, to low survival of reseeded juveniles caused by poor development of anti-predator behaviour. We found that recently-settled juvenile lobsters reared in captivity for 1 year exhibit significantly higher levels of daytime activity than their like-sized wild counterparts and that this daytime activity could be reduced by 50% by either rearing the lobsters with a predator or by feeding them at night. In combination, predator presence and night-time feeding further reduced daytime emergence to low levels. However, a field experiment in which we observed the behaviour and emergence times of captive-reared lobsters immediately after release on reefs where predators were abundant, showed that regardless of rearing conditions and associated changes in behaviour, lobsters assess the risk of predation and quickly assume nocturnal emergence and activity patterns. This plasticity in behaviour may enable juveniles to maximise foraging range and duration in response to predation pressure. © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Fisheries sciences
Research Field:	Aquaculture and fisheries 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:	Oliver, MD (Ms Megan Oliver)
UTAS Author:	Gardner, C (Professor Caleb Gardner)
ID Code:	42499
Year Published:	2006
Web of Science® Times Cited:	13
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2006-08-01
Last Modified:	2007-04-13
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