Project number: 1995-017
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $140,590.00
Principal Investigator: Richard Musgrove
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 28 Jun 1996 - 30 Sep 1998
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. A. Development of a condition index or indices .To determine the correlation between selected biochemical components, growth and temperature in the laboratory.
2. Moult Staging Techniques. To determine the correlation between moult stage, shell rigidity and pleopod epidermal and setal development for this species. To determine the length of individual moult stages

Final report

Author: Richard Musgrove
Final Report • 1998-03-06 • 2.02 MB
1995-017-DLD.pdf

Summary

In July 1993, a program was initiated by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the South Australian Rock Lobster Research Association (SARLRA) to study the population dynamics of the Southern Rock Lobster.  The study fitted with, and became part of, the tri-state strategic research direction for Southern Rock Lobster.  The program is intended to provide a scientific basis for management of the fishery and reflected concerns of potential over-exploitation in the face of increasing fishing effort and fishing power.  The program includes data collection and analysis at the recruit level as well as modelling of populations and catch forecasting.   Requirements for such analyses include spatial and temporal data on growth, recruitment, and fecundity.  
 
This report details the first part of a study aimed at enhancing the resolution of such data by establishing a field condition index for the Southern Rock Lobster.  The work also included the establishment of a system for moult staging in this species.  The condition assessment methods tested here include tissue RNA DNA ratios, lipid and protein content.
 

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