same length (fig. 30). The largest male caught 

 weighed 17 ounces and had a carapace length 

 of 4-1/4 inches (10.8 cm.). The largest female 

 weighed 25 ounces and measured 4-3/4 inches 

 (12 cm.). Length and weight frequency graphs 

 show that the predominant size of the male was 

 13 ounces with a carapace length of 3-1/2 

 inches (9 cm.) and the| predominant size female 

 was 19 ounces with a carapace length of 4-1/8 

 inches (10.5 cm.) (figs. 31 and 32). 



CARAPACE LEN0TH (CM ) 



Figure 30. — Total weight and carapace length of the male 

 and female Pacific sand lobster, E. princeps . 



WEIGHT (LBS AND OZ ) 



Figure 31. — Length frequency, by sex, of the Pacific sand 

 lobster (E. princeps ). 



Figure 32. — Weight frequency, by sex, of the Pacific sand 

 lobster (E. princeps ). 



SUMMARY 



An interagency agreement, signed June 21, 

 1962, between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- 

 ice, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, and 

 US/AID brought into being a survey of the 

 spiny lobster potential in Panamanian waters. 

 The work was carried out with the chartered 

 vessel Pelican and Bureau staff members. 



The explorations during the first year were 

 confined largely to trap fishing owing to the 

 flexibility of use, and for the reason that 

 small and large operations could adopt traps 

 should a resource be found. Traps of three 

 types were used--reed, wire, and wood. Wood 

 traps proved the most successfuland practical. 

 Traps in the water were located by means of 

 a flag buoy attached to them. They were 

 retrieved with a hydraulic trap hauler attached 

 to a boom on the port waist of the vessel. Bait 

 for the traps was taken in trawls, and on 

 longlines, trolling lines, and handlines. 



Because the entire coastline (Pacific and 

 Caribbean combined) was too extensive to 

 permit minute examination, representative 

 areas were chosen on the basis of bottom 

 topography, indication of lobster abundance 

 from talks with fishermen, and nearness to 

 population centers, sources of supply, and 

 suitable vessels. In the Caribbean, the San 

 Bias Islands and Bocas areas were surveyed; 

 in the Pacific, the Gulf of Chiriqui and the 



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