and 7 January 1971. Twenty-four were captured, tagged, 

 and released at 115 fathoms (210 m); 36 others were 

 taken, tagged, and released at 212 fathoms (388 m). All 

 recaptures were reported by specific location. Sex ratio at 

 release was 30 females (50%) to 30 males; the ratio at 

 recapture was 6 females (60%) to 4 males. 



Mean time at large for the 10 recoveries was 285 days 

 (0.8 yr); greatest time at large for a given individual 

 (920M), a mature male at release, was 530 days (1.5 yr) 

 with subsequent recapture 4 miles (7.4 km) from release 

 point. 



Mean distance ranged by the 10 recaptures was 15 

 miles (27.8 km); maximum dispersion of 54 miles (100 

 km) was attained by 798F while at large 163 days (0.4 

 yr); all other dispersions were 29 miles (53.7 km) or less 

 with two (735F, 734M) recaptured at original release 

 locations following some 6 mo at large. 



None of the recaptures meet the migrant criteria as 

 defined. 



Composite Station 26 (See Appendix Table 26) 



Only a single recapture has been reported from a 

 composite total of 54 releases (trap-caught) southwest of 

 Hudson Canyon on 25 January and 21 February 1971. 

 The initial group of 50 lobsters was caught and released 

 at 225 fathoms (412 m); the second group of four was 

 caught and released at 300 fathoms (549 m). Sex ratio at 

 release was 17 females (31%) to 37 males. 



The single recovery (647M), a mature male at release, 

 was at large 112 days (0.3 yr) prior to recapture at an un- 

 specified location. 



Composite Station 27 (See Figure 28 and 

 Appendix Table 27) 



Eleven recaptures have been reported from a 

 composite release of 194 trap-caught lobsters 15 miles 

 (27.8 km) south of Baltimore Canyon on 7, 8, 10, and 11 

 February 1971. Forty-seven were captured and released 

 at 185 fathoms (338 m); 24 were captured and released at 

 292 fathoms (534 m); 123 were captured and released at 

 150 fathoms (£74 m). All of the recaptures were reported 

 by specific location. The sex ratio at release was 99 

 females (51%) to 95 males; the ratio at return was 6 

 females (54%) to 5 males. 



Mean time at large for all recoveries was 452 days (1.3 

 yr); greatest time at large was 620 days (1.7 yr) with net 

 displacement of only 4 miles (7.4 km). 



Mean distance traveled by the 11 recaptures was 24 

 miles (44.5 km); two individuals (740F, 917F) exceeded 

 the 50-mile (92.7-km) range. Maximum dispersion was 

 attained by 917F which was taken in a coastal trap 

 fishery near Cape May, N.J., some 71 miles (132 km) 

 from release location. 



None of the recaptures meet migrant criteria. 



Composite Station 28 (See Appendix Table 28) 



Three recaptures have been reported from a single 

 point release of 29 trap-caught lobsters 25 miles (46.3 



km) southwest of Hudson Canyon on 22 February 1971. 

 Capture and release depth was 250 fathoms (457 m); sex 

 ratio at release was 14 females (48%) to 15 males. 



Mean time at large for the three recoveries was 184 

 days (0.5 yr); greatest time at large was 479 days (1.3 yr) 

 with only 9 miles (16.7 km) displacement from release 

 locality. 



Mean distance ranged by the three recoveries was only 

 7.6 miles (14.1 km), the range being 7-9 miles (13.0-16.7 

 km). 



None of these recaptures meet the migrant criteria as 

 defined. 



Composite Station 29 (See Figure 29 and 

 Appendix Table 29) 



One hundred fifty-five recaptures have been reported 

 from a composite release of 805 trap-caught lobsters at 

 Veatch Canyon on 9 and 10 May 1971. 



This series of releases was made by one of us (Richard 

 A. Cooper) while participating as scientific observer dur- 

 ing commercial trap-fishing operations of the FV Wily 

 Fox owned and operated by the Prelude Lobster Corpora- 

 tion of Westport, Mass. The lobsters that were tagged 

 were, for the most part, either sublegal by size, or egg- 

 bearing females, and would normally have been discard- 

 ed as the traps were hauled and emptied. This tagging 

 strategy was not used on any other cruise. All other 

 lobsters were trawl-caught or trapped (composite 

 stations 25, 26, 27, 28) by research vessels previously 

 named; among these trap-caught lobsters all that were 

 viable at capture were tagged and released with the ex- 

 ception of those which were dead or moribund (<1%) 

 after the posttagging holding period. 



One hundred fifty of the tagged lobsters were captured 

 and released at 60 fathoms (110 m); the second group of 

 655 was captured and released at 55 fathoms (101 m). 

 Sixty-three of the recaptures were reported by specific 

 location, 83 by approximate location, and 9 without loca- 

 tion information of any kind. Sex ratio at release was 621 

 females (77%) to 184 males; the ratio of recaptures was 

 105 females (68%) to 50 males. 



Mean time at large for all accountable (154) recoveries 

 was 183 days (0.5 yr); greatest time at large for a located 

 individual (953F), an immature female at release, was 

 492 days (1.3 yr) with recapture 18 miles (33.4 km) from 

 release point. 



Mean distance traveled by individuals with specific 

 capture locations (63) was 15 miles (27.8 km); five 

 lobsters (721F, 738F, 926F, 758M, 895M) surpassed the 

 50-mile (92.7-km) range with each of the two males ex- 

 ceeding 100 miles (185 km). Maximum dispersion of 111 

 miles (206 km) northerly to Cuttyhunk Island was at- 

 tained by 758M while at large 108 days; this migration 

 (by prior definition) into the coastal trap fishery is a 

 further example of the evident, but unmeasured, annual 

 recruitment to coastal stocks by lobsters of offshore 

 origin. The net dispersion of 895M over 221 days to a 

 point 102 miles (189 km) westerly could conceivably have 

 been the summation of a shoalward migration such as 



18 



