66 
Fishery Bulletin 1 13(1) 
similar to the smallest ovigerous female registered in 
this study (22.5 cm TL). Therefore, it may be that the 
red chromatic pattern is related to maturation changes 
for this species, and this relationship should be evalu- 
ated in future experiments. The other coloration pat- 
terns were observed in lobster with a great range in 
size (TL) and were common to both sexes, possibly be- 
cause color changes are more related to the time since 
molting, microscale substrate type, and trophic ecology 
of this species. There is a lack of specific studies con- 
cerning these influences, however. 
For species of Scyllaridae, males are smaller than 
females (Lavalli and Spanier, 2007; Oliveira et ah, 
2008) and become mature at smaller sizes (e.g., Ibacus 
spp., according to Stewart et al., 1997). It is possible 
that red coloration may be used as an indicator of the 
chromatic changes in maturing males because the size 
distribution for this coloration was restricted to the 
range of 16.0 to 25.5 cm TL, with a mean of 20.4 cm 
TL (SD 2.7). On the basis of these results, it is likely 
that the L 50 for males was approximately 23 cm TL, al- 
though more detailed analyses are required to confirm 
this hypothesis. 
The reduction in stock sizes of hooded slipper lob- 
ster in our study area (see Duarte et ah, 2010) presum- 
ably was enhanced by the capture of immature females 
(66.9%) with the 2 fishing methods: 1) trawlers and 2) 
pots and traps. On the basis of that observation, our 
research results indicate that the following potential 
measures could be investigated for the hooded slipper 
lobster fisheries in southeastern Brazikl) the use of a 
minimum landing size of 25 cm TL for this species, re- 
gardless of sex, and the release of individuals smaller 
than this size; 2 ) the release of ovigerous females im- 
mediately after capture to prevent an effect on recruit- 
ment; and 3) a closed season for fisheries from August 
to September, when there is the greatest reproduc- 
tive activity (proportion of ovigerous females) for this 
species. 
However, because discard mortality can be high in 
spiny lobsters (Gooding, 1985; O’Malley, 2008), whether 
discarding of hooded slipper lobster would be effective 
for stock protection is uncertain. Nevertheless, Cas- 
tro et al. (2003) demonstrated the efficacy of releas- 
ing caught fish of the genus Nephrops as a manage- 
ment measure. Haddy et al. (2005) and Spanier and 
Lavalli (2006) suggested that slipper lobsters are more 
resistant to discard mortality, because of their thicker 
carapace (Melo, 1999), and usually return alive to the 
water. In addition, management actions, such as size 
limits, release of ovigerous females, and closed seasons 
were effective management controls for the Panulirus 
cygnus fishery (Hall and Chubb, 2001), indicating that 
such measures could be pertinent for slipper lobster 
fisheries. 
In this study, we examined the life history aspects 
of the hooded slipper lobster landed as bycatch in 2 
fisheries in Brazil. The biometry, reproductive status, 
and size structure were documented. Our main find- 
ings were that maturity was related to the sizes of ab- 
domen (females) and carapace (males); the ovigerous 
specimens occurred mainly in shallow waters, where 
fisheries were more intense; and higher numbers of ju- 
veniles than of adults were reported by fishing fleets 
with landings in the study area. In addition, it is pos- 
sible that the red color of the carapace was related 
to maturation changes for this species. These results 
agree with evidence of fishing pressure on the slipper 
lobster population that was documented in other stud- 
ies (Lavalli and Spanier, 2007; Spanier and Lavalli, 
2007; Duarte et al., 2010). 
Nevertheless, further studies are clearly still neces- 
sary, especially those that examine the life cycle and 
other parameters of the current populations of slip- 
per lobsters in Brazil to understand mortality, growth, 
recruitment, stock identities, and stock levels of the 
hooded slipper lobster in waters of southeastern Brazil. 
Acknowledgments 
We thank all of the captains, fishermen, and dock 
workers at the various landings who contributed to 
this study. We also recognize the Instituto de Pesca 
(Santos, Sao Paulo), its Graduate Program in Fisheries 
and Aquaculture, and several colleagues for their input 
and help. We acknowledge the advice and help received 
from several colleagues, especially G. Pinheiro, who 
gave special attention to the figures in our manuscript. 
M. Pinheiro and M. Gasalla are grateful to Conselho 
Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico 
(CNPq) for the research fellowships provided. We also 
thank the reviewers who contributed much to improve 
this study. 
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