(the season of rapid growth) than either Vineyard Sound 

 (Sumner et al. 191 1) or Cape Cod Bay (Collings et al. footnote 

 3). The high numbers of larvae caught in Buzzards Bay com- 

 pared with the lower numbers in Vineyard Sound (Herrick 

 1896) and in Cape Cod Bay (Anderson and Scotton footnote 

 4) support this suggestion. 



The results in several larval lobster studies have shown that 

 stage I larvae dominated the catches (Templeman 1937; 

 Templeman and Tibbo 1945; Scarratt 1964; Sherman and 

 Lewis 1967; Lund and Stewart 1970; Scarratt 1973). The re- 

 sults from our sampling, however, showed stage II, 111, and IV 

 larvae dominating the catch in the 4 yr sampled (Table 1, 

 Fig. 3), a pattern that was similar to that concurrently ob- 

 tained by Collings et al. (footnote 3) in northeastern Buzzards 

 Bay. Templeman and Tibbo (1945) found that under bright 

 sunlight conditions stage I and II larvae moved from the sur- 

 face layer. Scarratt (1973) also found considerable numbers of 

 stage I larvae in depths of 0.6-1.2 m on sunny days in the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence. 



Most of our sampling in Buzzards Bay was done under 

 sunny conditions, and it is therefore possible that early stage 

 larvae were missed due to vertical migration in response to 

 light levels. Our data do not cover enough light conditions, 

 however, to draw any conclusions in this regard. 



Another possible factor may be the longer duration of the 

 fourth larval stage. Herrick (1896) indicated thai stages I and 

 II molted within 5 d and stage III molted in 2-8 d. Stage IV 

 larvae, however, did not moll tor 10-19 d and thus were 

 exposed to capture for a longer period. 



Surface drift may also result in dispersal of larvae. Scarratt 

 (1964) suggested that the levels of stage I abundance reflected 

 the location of the parent stock. Drift of the larvae could 

 result in a different distribution of stage I relative to stage IV. 



High catches of larval lobsters in this study frequently coin- 

 cided with high catches of zoea and megalops stages of crabs. 

 Similar results were noted by Templeman (1937). Larvae of 

 the rock crab, Cancer irroratus, predominated, however larvae 

 of green crab, Carcinus inaenas, and lady crab, Ovalipes 

 ocellatus, also were frequent components of the catch. Larvae 

 of porcellanid crabs were abundant through much of July 

 and into early August. 



LITERATURE CITED 



BRIGGS. P. T., and F. M. MUSHACKE. 



1979. The American lobster in western Long Island Sound. N.Y. Fish 

 Game J. 26:59-86. 



1980. The American lobster and the pot fishery in the inshore waters off 

 the south shore of Long Island, New York. N.Y. Fish Game J. 

 27:156-178. 



FOGARTY, M. J. 



1983. Distribution and relative abundance of American lobster, Homarus 

 americanus, larvae: A review. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Rep. 

 NMFSSSRF-775:3-8. 

 HERRICK, F. H. 



1896. The American lobster: a study of its habits and development. Bull. 

 U.S. Comm. Fish. 15:1-252. 

 HUGHES, J. T., and G. C. MATTHIESSEN. 



1962. Observations on the biology of the American lobster, Homarus 

 americanus. Limnol. Oceanogr. 7:414-421. 

 LUND, W. A., Jr., and L. L. STEWART. 



1970. Abundance and distribution of larval lobsters, Homarus americanus, 

 off the coast of southern New England. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc. 

 60:40-49. 

 SCARRATT, D. J. 



1964. Abundance and distribution of lobster larvae (Homarus americanus) 



in Northumberland Strait. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 21:661-680. 

 1973. Abundance, survival, and vertical and diurnal distribution of lobster 

 larvae in Northumberland Strait, 1962-63, and their relationships with 

 commerical stocks. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 30:1819-1824. 

 SHERMAN, K., and R. D. LEWIS. 



1967. Seasonal occurrence of larval lobsters in coastal waters of central 

 Maine. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc. 57:27-30. 

 SUMNER, F. B., R. C. OSBORN, and L. J. COLE. 



1911. A biological survey of the waters of Woods Hole and vicinity. 

 Section I. — Physical and zoological. Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish. 31 (Part I), 

 544 p. 

 TEMPLEMAN, W. 



1936. Local differences in the life history of the lobster (Homarus ameri- 

 canus) on the coast of the Maritime provinces of Canada. J. Biol. Board 

 Can. 2:41-88. 



1937. Habits and distribution of larval lobsters (Homarus americanus). 

 J. Biol. Board Can. 3:343-347. 



TEMPLEMAN, W., and S. N. TIBBO. 



1945. Lobster investigations in Newfoundland 1938-1941. Newfound- 

 land Gov. Dep. Nat. Resour. Res. Bull. (Fish) 16:60-98. 



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