Lameshur; Area 2 - from this point eastward to the area of Beehive Cove; 

 Area 3 - Beehive Cove and immediately seaward of Cabritte Horn Point; and 

 Area 4 - Grootpan Bay. The main aquanaut study area. Area 3, encompassed 

 approximately 150,000 m2, approximately one- third being reef and hard bottom 

 (inshore), the remainder sand-algal flats (offshore). The area is described 

 by Clifton, et al (1970), a portion of which is excerpted below. 



"The habitat was anchored in a reentrant in the coral reef on the 

 eastern side of the Bay. The massive reef structure extending south 

 from the habitat to Cabritte Horn Point is crossed by several linear 

 sets of grooves partly filled with carbonate sand. A wide variety of 

 stone corals compose the reef, which has a relief of 3 to 4.5 meters 

 above the adjacent sand flats. The deeper parts of the seaward reef 

 wall are typical of deep Caribbean coral reefs .... and Montastrea 

 annularis is the primary hermatypic species. Landward from the deep 

 reef is an extensive patch reef area of isolated coral heads on 

 sandy bottom .... The patch reef area is bordered ... on the land- 

 ward side by an area of slightly coral-encrusted bedrock cobbles and 

 boulders that locally adjoin submerged outcrops of bedrock, largely 

 volcanic rock .... Acropora palmata , an indicator of high-energy 

 zones, occurs along this rock outcrop near Cabritte Horn Point. On 

 the seaward side of the reef lie extensive sand flats that are either 

 barren or vegetated by Thalassia or by Udotea and are sprinkled with 

 sporadic patches of Penicillus and Halimeda. An unvegetated sand 

 strip 9 to 15 meters wide along the reef separates it from the 

 Thalassia and algae flats." 



The other study areas similarly were hard bottom near shore, sand, algal beds 

 (Area 4) or Thalassia (Areas 1 and 2) offshore (see Mathieson and Mead for more 

 complete description of plants). Areas 1 and 2 were relatively shallower than 

 Areas 3 or 4 and lacked massive reef formations; Area 1 lobster habitat was 

 largely coral heads and patch reef while Area 2 provided both patch reef and 

 boulder overhang. 



METHODS 



A major portion of the research was conducted by the above investigators oper- 

 ating from the TEKTITE habitat during three 20-day missions, April 22-May 11, 

 July 25-August 13, and September 3-22. Research efforts during the remainder 

 of the 6-month period were conducted by a team of diver-scientists operating 

 from the surface and in coordination with the aquanauts. 



Mark and recapture experiments with lobsters were initiated in the primary 

 study area on April 23; May 20 in Area 1; May 26 in Area 4; and June 9 in Area 2. 

 Each area was searched by divers over a period of 1-2 weeks to locate, tag, and 

 release an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the lobster population. Divers oper- 

 ating from the TEKTITE habitat searched Area 3 from the deepest portions of the 

 reef up to the 8 meter depth contour (the shallow excursion limit imposed on 

 the "saturated" divers) . Portions of Area 3 shallower than 8 meters were 

 searched by the surface support team, in addition to Areas 1, 2, and 4. Divers 

 attempted to systematically search each study area for lobsters. The sample of 

 lobsters captured for tagging is considered representative of the local 

 population, especially since it represents an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the 

 individuals present during the initial marking period. 



VI-36 



