CONTENTS 



Introduction 1 



Methods 1 



Tagging areas 1 



Tagging 1 



Publicity 2 



Recovery 3 



Results and discussion 3 



Recaptures 3 



Growth 4 



Movement 5 



Mortality 10 



Summary 11 



Acknowledgments 12 



Literature cited 12 



Figures 



1 . Maine coast showing the three tagging areas and recovery points o f American lobsters 2 



2. Length-frequencies of American lobsters tagged and released at Kennebunkport, Boothbay Harbor, and Jones- 

 port, Maine 3 



3. Size distributions of tagged American lobsters still at large after September 1977 at each tagging area 4 



4. Premolt-postmolt carapace length relations of recaptured tagged American lobsters that molted at each release site 5 



5. Kennebunkport, Maine, region showing dispersal of recaptured tagged American lobsters, May 1975-September 

 1977 6 



6. Boothbay Harbor, Maine, region showing dispersal of recaptured tagged American lobsters, May 1975-September 

 1977 7 



7. Jonesport, Maine, region showing dispersal of recaptured tagged American lobsters, May 1 975-September 1 977 . . 8 



8. Average distances traveled by tagged American lobsters during weekly time intervals prior to recapture 9 



9. Distances moved by recaptured American lobsters of various sizes tagged and released at Kennebunkport, 

 Boothbay Harbor, and Jonesport, Maine 10 



10. Recaptures of tagged American lobsters as related to time at large at each tagging area 10 



Tables 



1 . Monthly tag recoveries of American lobsters by release area off Maine, 1 975-77 3 



2. Comparison of the proportions of American lobsters recaptured to those tagged by two biologists at each release 

 area, 1975-77 4 



3. Mean sizes of tagged American lobsters recaptured along with those lobsters not recaptured, 1 975-77 4 



4. Comparison of the sex ratios of tagged American lobsters released with those recaptured at each release area, 

 1975-77 4 



5. Average distances moved by recaptured American lobsters at each tagging area 9 



6. Summary of the distances traveled by recaptured tagged American lobsters at each tagging area, 1975-77 10 



7. Annual instantaneous rates of apparent total and fishing mortality on American lobsters estimated from returns 

 grouped by different time intervals 11 



8. Estimated percentage of tag loss after various time intervals for American lobsters released at Kennebunkport, 

 Boothbay Harbor, and Jonesport, Maine 11 



