Abstract
Seasonal movement patterns of a sub-population of the West Coast rock lobster (WCRL), Jasus lalandii, in a fisheries-relevant area of South Africa were investigated from 2010 to 2018 by abundance and tag/recapture surveys. A small sub-population (3144 out of 152 914 WCRL analysed) of large male WCRL (carapace length ≥ 75 mm) gathered in a deep (± 200 m) commercial fishing area in January – May, whereas they are rare or absent in the periods between. This distribution was consistent with tagging information from 502 recaptured WCRL (from 15 211 tagged) which revealed an inshore movement (mainly in a NE direction) of a male sub-population (carapace length ≥ 75 mm = legal size) starting in austral autumn. The mean straight-line movement was 30.4 ± 0.6 km (maximum 75 km) and a mean time at large of 301 ± 15 days (maximum 3000 days) were recorded. The study revealed therefore the destination of the lobsters’ migration but not its origin.
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