Maturity, fecundity and reproductive potential of the European lobster (<i>Homarus gammarus</i>) in Ireland

Tully, Oliver; Roantree, Vincent; Robinson, Martin

doi:10.1017/s002531540100340x

Cited by 57 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Egg size increased significantly with maternal body size. This finding is in concordance with previous work conducted on European lobsters in other regions (Tully et al 2001, Jørstad et al 2005, Agnalt et al 2008). In addition, we document that egg size is closely linked to larval size, implying that egg size (measured as DW) is a good approximation of offspring size.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…In some American lobster Homarus americanus populations, egg size is a function of female size, with larger females producing larger eggs with higher energetic content (Attard & Hudon 1987, Sibert et al 2004. Similarly, in the European lobster Homarus gammarus, both fecundity and egg size increase with maternal size (Tully et al 2001, Agnalt et al 2008. In this species, there is also some evidence that maternal size may have a positive effect on offspring survival, as measured under semi-natural conditions during the early benthic phase (Jørstad et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Maternal influences on offspring size variation and viability in wild European lobster Homarus gammarus

Moland¹,

Olsen²,

Stenseth³

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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In many marine species, large females tend to produce more robust offspring than small females. However, knowledge on maternal influences in decapod crustaceans is limited. This is unfortunate since many decapod populations are being intensively harvested and show signs of 'juvenescence', i.e. the loss of large (and presumably old) individuals. In this study, we quantified maternal influences in European lobster Homarus gammarus from Skagerrak, southern Norway. Historical lobster catches in Skagerrak were substantial but the stock has suffered a major decline over the past 30 to 40 yr and is currently red listed as near threatened according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) criteria. We studied eggs and larvae from wild-caught ovigerous females ranging in carapace length from 79 to 152 mm (n = 45). Mean egg size increased while sibling size variation decreased significantly with increasing maternal size. Mean larval size at hatching was closely linked to both maternal size and mean egg size. A laboratory experiment showed a weak but significant nonlinear increase in pelagic larval survival with increasing mean egg size in the absence of food. These findings suggest that maternal influences on offspring quality could be a significant source of variation in lobster recruitment. Consequently, maternal influences could be an important source of error in fisheries science and management if they are assumed to be absent or unimportant.KEY WORDS: Maternal effects · Decapoda · Sibling size variation · Egg size · Survival · Early life history Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal influences on offspring size variation and viability in wild European lobster Homarus gammarus

Moland¹,

Olsen²,

Stenseth³

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Furthermore, Ennis (1980) has indicated that the inflections and asymptotes needed to establish the size at maturity are not very distinct based on the L C /A W vs. L C graphs. Similarly, Tully et al (2001) was unable to match maturity based on the maturity index (morphometric maturity) with maturity based on ovarian condition for the European lobster (H. gammarus Linnaeus, 1758). Given negative results in this and other studies, we do not recommend that the maturity index based on the morphometry of the abdomen be used to detect the onset of female sexual maturity in lobsters of the genus Homarus.…”

Section: Size At Maturitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Maturity and Reproductive Cycle of the Female American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

Comeau

Savoie

2002

Journal of Crustacean Biology

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A B S T R A C TThe maturity and reproductive cycle of female American lobsters (Homarus americanus) were investigated in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL), Canada. The onset of sexual maturity of female lobsters can be established by observations of the ovarian condition, either color or weight, and staging of cement glands but cannot be detected by the morphometry of their abdomens. Females reached 50% maturity between 68.7 mm and 73.3 mm carapace length (L C ). There was a significant geographic difference (P , 0.005) in the size at 50% maturity established by the ovarian development techniques but not by the cement-gland staging technique. Also, there were no annual significant differences (P . 0.005) between the ovarian development techniques used at a single site between 1994 and 1997. To study the reproductive cycle of females, molt stage, ovarian development, and egg spawning were monitored by dissections at the laboratory and by tagging studies in the field. The majority (80%) of small mature females (L C , 120 mm) in the sGSL had a typical two-year reproductive cycle with molting (with copulation) and spawning in alternating years. However, up to 20% of multiparous females ranging between 65 mm and 109 mm L C could spawn in successive years instead of the generally accepted twoyear cycle, and some could even molt and spawn during the same summer. Similarly, up to 20% of primiparous females could molt and spawn (for the first time) in the same year instead of spawning the following year. A small percentage (5%) of small mature females could also skip molting or spawning for a year. Temperature data suggested that the length of the female reproductive cycle, and possibility of molting and spawning in the same year, were related to the number of degree-days in a particular season.The American lobster (Homarus americanus Milne Edwards, 1837) is one of the most valuable commercial species landed in Eastern Canada. One of the key elements to achieve a healthy fishery is assuring a good egg production by allowing females to spawn before being captured (Anonymous, 1995). Hence, a good knowledge of the female size at maturity is essential for a sound management of the fishery and is often used as one of a suite of references to define the minimal legal size at capture for the lobster (Campbell, 1985).Lobster mating in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) occurs between July and September. Small female lobsters (carapace length , 120 mm) are thought to follow a two-year reproductive cycle (Aiken and Waddy, 1982). In a typical cycle, females are molting and mating during the same summer, extruding the eggs the following year, and carrying them attached on pleopods under the abdomen for nearly another year. This two-year reproductive cycle may be shortened to one year for primiparous females by fluctuation of environment factors, mainly temperature (Templeman, 1934(Templeman, , 1936Waddy and Aiken, 1992;Waddy et al., 1995). The reproductive cycle is also influenced by the female size, as larger females ...

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“…It has been presented here for Nephrops at southwest Iceland and has also been described for Nephrops in the Celtic Sea (Morizur and Rivoalen, 1982). Also, in the European lobster Homarus gammarus, egg size has been shown to be positively, but only weakly, related to female CL (Lizàrraga-Cubedo et al, 2003;Tully et al, 2001) and similarly in the American lobster H. americanus (Attard and Hudon, 1987;Ouellet and Plante, 2004).…”

Section: Female Maturity Stagesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Reproductive Biology of Female Norway Lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758) Leach, in Icelandic Waters During the Period 1960–2010

Eiríksson¹

2014

Advances in Marine Biology

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Maturity, fecundity and reproductive potential of the European lobster (Homarus gammarus) in Ireland

Cited by 57 publications

References 12 publications

Maternal influences on offspring size variation and viability in wild European lobster Homarus gammarus

Maternal influences on offspring size variation and viability in wild European lobster Homarus gammarus

Maturity and Reproductive Cycle of the Female American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

Reproductive Biology of Female Norway Lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758) Leach, in Icelandic Waters During the Period 1960–2010

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