USGS · 1014978
The use of coded microwire tags mark-recapture studies of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus
Abstract
To evaluate the suitability of using coded microwire tags (CWTs) to mark early-benthic-stage Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus , we compared the survival, growth, and feeding of tagged and untagged lobsters held in the laboratory through the first five juvenile molts. We also examined the growth of 65 microwire-tagged lobsters released into the wild as early-benthic-stage juveniles. Tag retention rates of lobsters held in the laboratory were 86% for those tagged as first-stage juveniles and 96% for those tagged as second-stage juveniles; virtually all tag loss was confined to the first post-tag molt. Survival and growth rates of tagged second-stage juveniles in the laboratory did not significantly differ from those of untagged lobsters, but first-stage-tagged juveniles had lower growth rates than untagged lobsters did and a 25% post-tagging mortality rate. The mean growth rate of juveniles released into the wild was 0.82 mm CL/wk, but growth differed by season; no sex- or habitat-specific differences in growth were observed. Data obtained from these recaptured lobsters provide the first detailed estimates of growth of P . argus under natural conditions during the earliest part of their benthic life and illustrate the potential usefulness of coded microwire tags in mark-recapture investigations of juveniles for this and other species.
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W.C. Sharp, W.A. Lellis, M.J. Butler, W.F. Herrnkind, J.H. Hunt, M. Pardee-Woodring, T.R. Matthews. 2000. The use of coded microwire tags mark-recapture studies of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus. https://doi.org/10.1163/20021975-99990067
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