for 376 MT, the offshore trap fishery 1,413 MT and the offshore trawl fishery 

 414 MT. Over the last 20 years, American lobster landings have averaged 

 between 13,000 and 14,000 MT. During this same period of time, effort has 

 been increasing dramatically. 



Mating occurs immediately after the female lobster molts and her 

 exoskeleton is still soft, rendering her defenseless. The sperm are held in 

 seminal receptacles in the female until the eggs are ready to be fertilized 

 and extruded. Fertilized eggs are attached to the swimmerets of the tail and 

 are carried by the female for 10-12 months before hatching as planktonic 

 larvae. The larvae molt four times and then become benthic. Males tend to 

 grow faster and larger than females. Also, offshore lobsters grow faster and 

 larger than inshore lobsters. Females from both groups mature between 4 and 5 

 years of age; offshore females mature at 85 mm (carapace length) or greater, 

 while the inshore females attain sexual maturity around 70 mm (Burns personal 

 communication). 



American lobster is both an aggressive predator and a scavenger. Adult 

 lobster consume many types of marine invertebrates and a variety of fish 

 species. Predators include most large fish. 



National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) bottom trawl surveys confirm 

 commercial catch analyses demonstrating a general decline in American lobster 

 stocks. 



Bottom Trawl Survey Results 



The cumulative spring and autumn distributions over the time series are 

 shown in Figures 18.1 and 18.2. In the spring, the lobsters were concentrated 

 offshore along and east of the 100 m contour (Figure 18.1). The autumn 

 distribution plot (Figure 18.2) again shows lobsters concentrated near the 100 



403 



