Really, we must abandon the concept of static, 

 unchanging regulations in a dynamic, changing 

 population of lobsters. In this way we can 

 always obtain the best yield for fishermen. 



In any study with budgetary restrictions 

 there are many aspects that cannot be examined. 

 In the present study we still need detailed in- 

 formation on : 



(1) trap selectivity; 



(2) larval distributions ; 



(3) parent-progeny, or stock-recruitment re- 

 lationships; 



(4) an entirely new technique for determining 

 the ages of lobsters ; 



(5) movements of lobsters and independent 

 mortality estimates; this would be best 

 suited to a tagging study. 



Unfortunately, most of these studies are 

 costly. In order to accomplish them and carry 

 on the necessary commercial sampling, we need 

 2 to 3 times the present budget. While this 

 sounds like a tremendous increase, this new 

 annual budget would only amount to 1.5% of 

 the landed value of lobsters in Maine for each 

 year. 



The Need for a Technique to 

 Determine the Age of Lobsters 



I feel that this particular recommendation 

 is so important that it should be treated separ- 

 ately. 



We were able to estimate most of the pre- 

 ceding parameters by assuming that the manipu- 

 lation of length frequencies revealed the age 

 or molt composition of the catch. With this 

 insight, we should consider an independent 

 method to determine the age composition of 

 the lobster population. Hopefully, this new 

 technique would corroborate the determinations 

 from the length frequencies. 



Some funding agency must be made to recog- 

 nize the importance of this need not only for 

 lobsters, but also for other crustaceans of com- 

 mercial importance. This type of investigation 

 would be best suited to universities (medical 

 schools) that have prior experience with the 

 genetic-biochemical aging process in humans. 

 Paradoxically, in this situation, humans would 

 be the test species. 



For those who would say this limitation in 

 the length frequencies should delay implementa- 

 tion of the recommendations in this report, I 

 would remind them that the regulations now 

 in effect are largely a result of intuition and 

 convenience. While this type of management 

 might suffice in a lightly exploited fishery, it 

 is foolhardy to continue it in such a valuable 

 resource as lobsters, especially when the most 

 cursory examination of the length frequencies 

 reveals that the size ranges of the exploited 

 phase of the stock have been reduced practi- 

 cally to one-half inch in carapace length. Fur- 

 ther, this one-half inch in size range does not 

 include the size at maturity for most female 

 lobsters. 



SUMMARY 



In summary we have determined: 



(1) Most traps currently in use have parlors, 

 reflecting a change from an earlier study 

 in 1948. Further, present-day traps pos- 

 sibly have a selection range below the 

 legal size of 81-mm carapace length. 



(2) The premolt-postmolt relationships in 

 carapace length in millimeters by category 

 are: 



y = 0.64986 + 1.07578a: (males) 

 y = -0.46448 + 1.09612a: (females) 

 y = 0.59543 + 1.07619.r (sexes 

 combined) 



(3) Based upon berried female measurements : 



(a) Canadian and Maine stocks of fe- 

 male lobsters extrude their eggs 

 between May and July ; 



(b) most female lobsters from Maine 

 stocks mature (extrude eggs) be- 

 tween 90- and 100-mm carapace 

 length ; 



(c) female lobsters from Maine extrude 

 eggs at a larger size than females 

 from certain parts of Canada. 



(4) The maximum size regulation of 127-mm 

 (5 inches) carapace length is biologically 

 unsound. 



55 



