Capture and rearing of pueruli of the red spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus from Northern Pacific coast of Mexico

The red spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus (Randall, 1842) is found on the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, where it produces 1200 t y super(-1) of fishery landings which comprises 61% of the total spiny lobster catch of Mexico. Monthly sampling was undertaken with five sandwich-type collectors at the Sacramento Reef in the Bay of El Rosario, catching 12 pueruli in 2008 and 8 pueruli in 2009. In these two years that were sampled, May, June and September were the months with greater total catches; with 5, 4, and 4 pueruli per month, respectively. The pueruli that were used for rearing were captured between June and September of 2008. In the laboratory, these lobsters were fed with fresh mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, provided ad libitum over 221 days. Survival of lobsters was 100%. The initial mean carapace length (CL) was 6.91. mm and wet weight 0.21 g, and after 221 days and 8 moults per lobster they had a mean CL of 34.2 mm and mean wet weight of 35.4 g. The relationship of length and weight of juveniles with successive moults is reported. A mean growth rate of 0.12 mm days at a temperature of 19.4 degree C for juvenile lobsters between 6.9 - 34.2 mm CL was determined, which was lower than 0.15 mm day super(-1) between 7.0 - 24.0 mm CL at 28 degree C as previously reported. Feed in take was estimated to have increased from 0.9 mg ind super(-1) day super(-1) to 18 g ind super(-1) day super(-1) increasing directly in proportion to body weight.