The aim of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the exploitation pattern of the European lobster population in a fully representative small-scale fishery of the Mediterranean (Corsica, France) and to collect initial biological information on this species. Data were collected by scientific observers on board net fishing vessels for eight consecutive years from 2006 until 2013. Average annual catches were estimated at 6.7 t. Length frequencies indicated that exploitation focused on large individuals. Catch per unit of effort varied significantly as a function of month, fishing area and depth. Our approach to catch distribution revealed spatial heterogeneity with large catches in the south area. A fishery-independent survey was performed in 2013 and 2014 in west Cap Corse using 540 lobster traps; it showed an extremely low catch rate, confirming the low abundance for this area. This study provided new biological knowledge of a little-studied species in the Mediterranean.

International audienceThe common dentex Dentex dentex (Linnaeus, 1758) is an iconic marine coastal fish found in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its ecological and economic importance, scientific data on its exploitation are still very scarce. The aim of this study is to: (i) analyze the relationship between the catch per unit effort (CPUE) and possible factors that might have caused the trends observed, (ii) study the temporal and spatial trends in CPUE, (iii) identify the spatial distribution of catches, and (iv) compare the size and age structure of catches. CPUE varies over spatial and temporal scales but shows annual stability. The study reveals that CPUE varies significantly as a function of month, strata and depth. Our results show a seasonal pattern of captures during the spawning period (May) and the associated size class is mainly composed of mature individuals. The length and age frequency histograms of the common dentex show that after the spawning period (June-September) exploitation is mostly made up of small/young and immature individuals. Our spatial approach reveals a heterogeneous catch distribution and identifies important exploitation areas. A combination of management tools and specific measures to safeguard the reproductive potential of this species should be promoted

Jasus edwardsiiandJasus paulensisare two species of spiny lobster that are distributed across south-eastern Australia and isolated islands of the southern Indian Ocean, respectively. We present rare examples of abnormal reproductive morphology in both species. ForJasus edwardsii, this included a female lobster captured in South Australia, which, in addition to the normal pair of gonopores at the base of the third pair of pereiopods, also exhibited a second a pair of gonopores on the coxopodites of the fourth pair of pereiopods. In Tasmania, a male individual exhibited the specialized pincer on the right propopodite, normally only observed in females. The frequency of abnormal morphological reproductive characteristics appeared higher inJasus paulensis. This included 14 individuals that exhibited a range of additional and abnormal gonopore locations in both males and females. We discuss the findings in relation to rare cases of gynandromorphism in crustaceans.

In the Mediterranean sea, the high commercial value of lobsters has an important economical impact. Palinurus elephas and Palinurus mauritanicus are distributed in the Western Mediterranean sea and in the North-Eastern Atlantic Ocean. Overfishing is one of the principal causes of spiny lobsters rarefaction. Palinurus species have decreased in many sectors of the Mediterranean sea and most productive fisheries occurred around islands. For this reason many countries have made up a program on the stock preservation. We report results of phylogenetic analyses based on nucleotide sequence data from two regions of the mitochondrial genome, the large-subunit ribosomal RNA (16S) and the cytochrome oxidase I subunit (COI) in Panulirus elephas and Panulirus mauritanicus. In this studie we also included sequences of these gene regions for 28 taxa within the genus Panulirus and Jasus. All the methods used in this study (Neighbor-joinig, Network Median joining) support the phylogenetic position of Palinurus between Panulirus and Jasus.