Melville-Smith and de Lestang; Changes in egg production of Panu/irus cygnus associated with appendage damage 



423 



100 



80 



S 60 

 a> 



m c 40 



A Ovigerous setae 



20 



n=1 7,747 



12 3 4 5 6 7 



B Single-breeding ovigerous 



10 11 12 



12 3 4 5 

 C Double-breeding ovigerous 



10 11 12 



100 



o> 80 



- c 



) (l> DU 



\i 40 



■° 20 



4 5 6 7 



Appendages lost 



Figure 4 



Likelihood of female western rock lobster iPanulirus cygnus) with I A) ovigerous 

 setae, (B) or being single-breeding ovigerous individuals, and (C) double-breed- 

 ing individuals, with 0-12 appendages damaged. Data are from the 2001-05 

 fishery-independent breeding stock surveys at the Abrolhos Islands (zone A) for 

 all females >65 mm CL combined. Equations in (B) and (C) refer to fitted relation- 

 ships describing the likelihood of breeding with appendage loss. 



pling methods, either to capture in the pots or handHng 

 on deck. The slightly higher proportions of females than 

 males recorded with new damage are possibly the result 

 of the longer handling time needed to make additional 

 observations, such as recording the presence or absence 

 of eggs and spermatophores and visually assessing the 

 condition of the ovary. In contrast to new appendage 

 damage, the events that resulted in old damage and 

 regenerated appendages occurred before the survey 

 and, in the latter case (regenerated appendages), before 

 the lobster's last molt, i.e., about May (de Lestang and 



Melville-Smith, 2006). It is therefore likely that much of 

 this damage is inflicted during the commercial fishing 

 season, possibly as a result of capture and handling. 

 It is thus not surprising that the lobsters showing the 

 greatest incidence of regenerated appendages are fe- 

 males above the maximum legal size (115 mm CL in 

 zone C and 105 mm CL in zones A and B); many of 

 these animals were likely handled and returned to the 

 water many times during a season. Predators may be 

 an additional cause of appendage damage. The fact that 

 the incidence of old appendage damage increased in 



