CARAPACE LENGTH (MM) 



Figure 6. Size frequency distribution for berried Temales caught from 1979 to 1985. Numbers in parentheses 

 represent the percentages of subiegal and legal berried females (%sublegal, %legal). 



In comparison, females in northern and offshore populations (Maine, Canada) begin to mature at sizes 

 close to the legal size and only a small percentage is able to spawn prior to reaching marketable size 

 (Aiken and Waddy 1980). 



To provide more information about the reproductive cycle of lobsters in our area, we recorded both 

 the fullness, and the developmental stage of egg masses carried by berried females during 1984-85 (Table 

 11). Based on embryo development, we concluded that berried females caught in May and June carried 

 eggs that were ready to hatch. The smaU number of berried females caught in .luly indicated the completion 

 of the biennial spawning cycle. Females that were fertilized in the previous year began extruding eggs in 

 August and the number of berried females caught carrying newly extruded eggs peaked in September and 

 October. About 89% of the berried females examined in 1984 for egg mass fullness had 1/2 or more the 

 normal complement of eggs and, in 1985, 86% had 1/2 or more the normal complement. Only 3.7% of 

 the berried females in 1984 and, in 1985, 7.7% had less than 1/4 the normal complement of eggs. This 

 may be compared to 10-14% of the berried females in western LIS carrying abnormally low numbers of 

 eggs in 1976 (Smith 1977). Smith's concern was that such an additional source of natural mortality (i.e., 

 abnormally low fecundity) in western LIS, an area where 30% of the females are berried, could affect the 

 entire Connecticut fishery. 



