was also reported by Marcello et al. (footnote 7) and by Briggs and 

 Mushacke (1979). Variability in the sex ratios of lobsters is often 

 associated with size composition of the catch, which is affected by 

 sampling methods and depth of water (Ennis 1 980). Ratios close to 

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

 which females tend to predominate in the catch (Skud and Perkins 

 1969; Ennis 1980). 



Growth 



As a result of the mark and recapture tagging program, growth 

 expressed as percent increase in carapace length between molts was 

 calculated for 270 individuals that molted between the time of 

 release and the time of recapture. The growth per molt ranged 

 from 12.1 to 13.4% (1978-81). There was no significant difference 

 in growth between males and females. Stewart (1972) reported 

 growth per molt of 15.8% for males and 15.4% for females from 

 eastern LIS and Briggs and Mushacke (1979) reported 10.4% from 

 western LIS. In inshore waters, growth per molt has been reported 

 from 12.0 to 17.5% (Wilder 1953; Cooper 1970; Ennis 1972; Fair 

 1977"). Cooper and Uzmann (1971) found growth increments of 

 16.7% for females and 18.7% for males caught in deep offshore 

 waters. Smaller growth of inshore lobsters is attributed to their 

 relative inactivity (feeding) during the colder months of the year 

 (Cooper and Uzmann 1980). 



Berried Females 



From 1975 to 1981 , the percentage of females that were bearing 

 eggs ranged from 3.1 to 6.7% (Table 4). However, the 1975-76 



female caught during our study was 64 mm CL and was smaller 

 than has been reported by any of the area investigators. Female 

 lobsters in LIS and BIS apparently mature at a smaller size than 

 those off the coast of Maine (Krouse 1973; Thomas 1973), the 

 outer shelf (Skud and Perkins 1969), and the south shore of Long 

 Island (Briggs and Mushacke 1980). 



Culls 



The percentage of culled lobsters (missing either one or both 

 claws) has ranged from 9.7 to 17.4% (Table 5). Smith (footnote 4) 

 reported 26.4% culled in LIS, east of the Connecticut River, and 

 Briggs and Mushacke (1979) reported culls varying between 7.4 

 and 22.8% in western LIS. 



Table 5. — The percentage of catch missing one claw, two claws, and 

 total percent cull for both wood and wire pots from 1975 to 1981 at 

 Millstone Point. 





Percent 



missing 



Percent 



missing 









one 



claw 



two 

 Wood 



claws 

 Wire 



Percen 

 Wood 



t cull 



Year 



Wood 



Wire 



Wire 



1975 



7.8 



— ' 



1.9 



_ 



9.7 







1976 



13.5 



— 



2.0 



— 



15.4 



— 



1977 



10.4 



— 



1.2 



— 



11.7 



_ 



1978 



14.1 



14.0 



1.9 



0.9 



15.9 



15.0 



1979 



15.0 



14.4 



2.4 



1.2 



17.4 



15.5 



1980 



14.7 



11.9 



2.2 



1.4 



16.9 



13.4 



1981 



12.6 



11.2 



1.4 



0.9 



14.0 



12.1 



'Wire 



pots not used. 











Table 4. — The percentage, number, size range, and mean carapace length (CL) ± 

 SD of egg-bearing females collected from 1975 to 1981 at Millstone Point. 



Year Intake Jordan Cove Twotree Overall 



N Range 



CL 



'1975 



3.5 





4.5 



9.7 



6.7 



7 



73-84 



79.1 ±3.7 



1976 



3.3 





1.9 



11.2 



5.9 



16 



70-102 



82.9 + 7.7 



1977 



3.5 





1.4 



6.2 



3.7 



35 



68-92 



79.7 ±6.4 



=1978 



2.8 





1.7 



5.4 



3.4 



58 



74-88 



80.1 ±4.0 



1979 



2.8 





1.7 



5.2 



3.1 



67 



64-93 



80.6 + 5.4 



1980 



1.8 





2.8 



5.0 



3.3 



71 



72-93 



79.2 ±5.1 



1981 



2.6 





1.6 



6.7 



4.2 



82 



70-97 



81.2±6.1 



Wood pots only (1975-77). 













! Wood and 



wire 



pots (1978-81) 













values were based on small sample sizes so the 1977-81 values of 

 about 3% are more representative. Twotree had a significantly (P 

 < 0.05) greater proportion of berried females of the three stations 

 (Duncan's Multiple Range Test), and this was attributed to shelter 

 availability and water depth. Other investigators in eastern LIS and 

 BIS have reported percentages of berried females ranging from 2.5 

 to 8.2% (Stewart 1972; Smith footnote 4; Marcello et al. footnote 

 7). These values differ considerably from those in western LIS, 

 where Smith (footnote 4) reported 27.3% and Briggs and 

 Mushacke (1979) 27.8% of females berried. 



The mean CL of berried females in our study ranged between 

 79. 1 and 82.9 mm. Other investigators in our area reported average 

 sizes of berried females from 80.0 to 86.2 mm. The smallest berried 



'Fair, J. J., Jr. 1977. Lobster investigations in management area I; Southern 

 Gulf of Maine. Mass. Div. Mar. Fish., Contract No. 03-5-043-328, 8 p. Fish. 

 Manage. Branch, State-Fed. Relationships Div., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA, 

 State Fish Pier, Gloucester, MA 01930. 



Percent culled in wood pots (range 14.0-17.4%) was slightly 

 greater than that observed in wire pots (range 12.1-15.5%), 

 1978-81. Trap related injuries resulting in claw loss are often 

 associated with water temperature, fishing pressure (i.e., handling 

 by lobstermen), trap set over days, and physical condition of the 

 lobster (i.e., its nearness to molt; Pecci et al. 1978). 



Molting Patterns 



Molting was first noted in May, although at low levels (< 1 %) 

 (Fig. 6). Incidence of molters reached a peak in June (6-8%), coin- 



JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 



Figure 6. — Molting patterns for lobsters in the Millstone Point area based on 

 data from 1975 to 1981. 



