Preliminary results from an assessment of the South African P. delagoae rock lobster resource to investigate the recovery of the resource between two periods of experimental trap-fishing

Abstract

Data from two trap-fishing experiments carried out on the east coast of South Africa targeting the P.delagoae rock lobster, along with trawl-catch information for the years 1985-2009, are used to develop a population assessment for this species. The assessment aims to investigate the extent, if any, of the recovery of the rock lobster between the two periods of fishing, as well as assess the current stock level and potential future sustainable catch. The model is an age-structured model and includes ageto-length conversions in order to assess the fit of the model-predicted catches to length data available from the trap experiments