coastal areas are extremely high and current minimum size 

 limits are below the mean size at maturity for many areas 

 (Anthony and Caddy 1980), suggesting that recruitment from 

 less heavily exploited areas may play an important role in 

 sustaining coastal fisheries. 



A 15-yr study of stage IV density and subsequent stock size 

 indicated a relationship between larval production and stock 

 size 6 yr later. The derived function is similar in form to stock- 

 recruitment relationships developed for European brown 

 shrimp (Boddeke 1981) and spiny lobster (Morgan et al. 1982). 

 possibly indicating a similarity in population regulatory 

 mechanisms among these crustacean species. 



In the context of extremely high levels of fishing mortality 

 for this species (Anthony and Caddy 1980), protection of 

 brood stock by setting minimum size limits to the vicinity of 

 mean size at maturity and prohibition on harvesting ovigerous 

 females would appear prudent. Increases in minimum size 

 limits and reduction in fishing mortality rates would also re- 

 sult in increased yield per recruit (Ennis 1980; Fogarty 1980), 

 providing further incentive for increasing legal size limits. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



I would like to express my appreciation to J. Stanley Cobb 

 for valuable discussions on this topic and his review of an ear- 

 lier draft of this manuscript. 



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