Table 3. — Sampling of commercial lobster catch for size distribution. 



Table 4. — The distribution of lobster measurement samples by 

 carapace size and moult classes. 



lobsters in the catch that becomes of legal size as a 

 result of recent moulting (recruits), (b) the average 

 growth rate, and (c) the probable natural mortality rate 

 from sublegal to legal size. Annual gross fishing effort 

 data were also compiled. 



Natural and fishing mortality rate amount to approx- 

 imately 83 percent for recruits and 86 percent for the 

 more catchable next larger size (1st moult within the 

 legal size range). 



Table 4 shows total measurements in numbers and 

 percent between the then minimum 79.375 mm and 

 maximum 127 mm size limits. 



From these measurements it was estimated that av- 

 erage annual natural mortality during the transition 

 period from sublegal to recruit ranged from 28 to 36 

 percent and directly affected the abundance of those 

 lobsters from minimum legal size to approximately 

 567.0 grams in weight. 



It is evident from examination of carapace mea- 

 surement records that a sharp break in the number of 

 lobsters occurs between 88.9 mm and 95.25 mm. On 

 the basis of observations, it is assumed this break rep- 

 resents the separation between moult classes of lob- 

 sters. It is further assumed that some in the 92.075 mm 

 class are lobsters which by their most recent moult 

 moved from sublegal to legal size. Conversely, it is 

 assumed that others in the 92.075 mm class are in their 

 second year of legal size and either failed to moult 

 or did not increase in size as much as did the aver- 

 age. 



The decrease in the number of lobsters between 88.9 

 mm and 92.075 mm appears to represent the overlap- 

 ping separation between those groups of lobsters that 

 have become of legal size as a result of recent moulting 

 and those that have moulted at least once since they 

 entered the legal size range. The 83 percent total rep- 

 resents the most recently recruited lobsters. 



The next size group, those that have moulted at 

 least once within the legal size range, amounts to 14 

 percent. The 2 percent group contains those that have 

 moulted at least twice in the legal size range. 



Differences in average size between lobsters in con- 

 secutive moult classes represent average growth rates 

 in carapace length as a result of moulting. For exam- 



