close to 1:1 occur up to the size at which females are sexually mature, 

 after which females tend to predominate In the catch due to the legal 

 restrictions of landing egg-bearing females and the fact that mature 

 females molt less frequently than males (Skud and Perkins 1969; Cooper et 

 al. 1975; Ennis 1980). Sex ratios in 1983 were within the range reported 

 in previous years (1.0:0.79 - 1.0:0.93), 



Female Size at Sexual Maturity 



The size at which females reach maturity was determined by measuring 

 the width of the second abdominal segment, calculating the ratio of the 

 abdominal width vs. carapace length and plotting that ratio against the 

 carapace length (Skud and Perkins 1969; Krouse 1973). The best fit to 

 these data is a cubic polynomial regression that should be flat where all 

 females are immature, inflect upward at the onset of maturity, and become 

 flat again where all or nearly all are mature (Briggs and Mushacke 1979; 

 Ennis 1980). The morphometric relationship between carapace length and 

 abdom.inal width for our data is illustrated in Figure 6. This curve shows 



30 



40 



50 



60 70 

 CARAPACE LENGTH 



80 



90 



100 



Figure 6. Ratio of the width of the second abdominal segment 

 to the carapace length compared with the carapace 

 length for female lobsters caught in traps and on 



the traveling screens in 1983 ( =±95% C.I.). 



11 



