Captive breeding of the spiny lobster, Panulirus homarus

Abstract

Captive broodstock of the spiny lobster, Panulirus homarus, mated successfully and produced more than 105 spawnings over 4 years. Improvements in nutrition and rearing conditions increased the number of spawnings from less than 2, to 4 per year. A single breeder mates three or more times in a year and may spawn more than once following a single mating. An average of four repetitive spawnings per year was recorded. One third of the females spawned 5 times and a single female spawned 7 times in one year. The phyllosoma were released in one or two batches on successive days. The number of phyllosoma larvae released varied from 16 000 to 529 180 with breeder weights ranging from 218 to 696 g.

Key words:

• Panulirus homarus
• captive broodstock
• repetitive spawning
• brood size