Fisheries Research Contract Report

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that large numbers, potentially of commercial quantities, of pueruli and post-pueruli can be harvested from Western Australian waters. At this stage, this appears to be unique in Australia. The same research concluded that harvesting of post-pueruli was likely to have little impact on the commercial fishery and that there could be ways to make post-pueruli removal biologically neutral. There is commercial interest in ongrowing western rock lobster post-pueruli to a marketable size, but basic data on growth and survival under a range of culture conditions was lacking. This project provides much of the essential biological information (growth rates, survival, feed consumption, food conversion, health) under a range of culture variables (flow rates, density, shelter, temperature, feed frequency) to assist potential investors in assessing the economic potential of western rock lobster growout.