Home range of European lobster (Homarus gammarus) in a marine reserve: implications for future reserve design

Abstract

Marine reserves are perceived as a critical component in successful rebuilding of overharvested marine populations. Such efforts can be particularly successful in species with limited movement rates. However, long-term data on movement is sparse for most marine species. Here, we investigated space use in European lobster ( Homarus gammarus ) by ultrasonic tracking in a reserve on the Norwegian Skagerrak coast from September 2006 to August 2007. Over the period, 95% of tagged lobsters remained either within the reserve or near reserve boundaries. Home range estimates based on a kernel density estimator of the 95% utilization distribution ranged from 5728 to 41 548 m2 (mean 19 879 ± 2152 m2 standard error), representing 0.57%–4.15% of the reserve area (1 km2), with no significant difference among males, non-ovigerous females, and ovigerous females for an overlapping observation period of 242 days. Logistic regression predicted average time to reach 50% and 95% of minimum convex polygon home range area at 98 and 259 days, respectively. These results show that European lobsters can be resident with limited home ranges. Small coastal reserves can be designed to afford complete or partial protection by letting boundaries engulf or intersect patches of habitat preferred by this species.

A groundwater-fed coastal inlet as habitat for the Caribbean queen conch Lobatus gigas—an acoustic telemetry and space use analysis

“…Espinoza et al 2011, Moland et al 2011. Our study illustrates that VPS is well suited to studies of slowmoving species such as queen conch, providing long-term movement paths on spatial resolution of usually better than 15 m, and allowing the calculation of home ranges on correspondingly small spatial scale and resolution.…”

Ecological role of large benthic decapods in marine ecosystems: a review

“…Evidence also indicated a 'spillover' into areas adjacent to the NTZ where an increase of sub-legal lobsters was observed (Hoskin et al 2011). In contrast, European lobster tagged in a Skagerrak coast reserve (Norway) were observed to remain in the reserve or near the boundary (Moland et al 2011).…”

Effects of temperature on the moulting and locomotory activity of hatchery-reared juvenile lobsters (Homarus gammarus) at Helgoland (North Sea)

“…may depend on their size, sex and specific behavioural patterns (foraging, moulting, mating, dominance and territorial behaviour) (Branford 1979;Lawton 1987;Karavanich & Atema 1998;Mehrtens et al 2008;Schmalenbach et al 2011). So far, field studies that quantified movement in adult lobsters reported no significant differences in home ranges between lobster size and sex (Scopel et al 2009;Moland et al 2011b).…”