Mark-recapture spiny lobster data

The South Coast Lobster Research Group (SCLRG) was formed in 2011 in response to interest in how MPAs may affect the abundance, size, and behavior of the California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus). The SCLRG is a partnership between scientists, managers, stakeholders, and volunteers, and encompasses personnel from the San Diego State University (SDSU), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), the San Diego Oceans Foundation (SDOF), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the California Lobster Trap Fishermen’s Association (CLTFA). We identified five sites in the South Coast Region at which to work, each with a newly established MPA: (1) the Cabrillo SMR in San Diego, (2) the South La Jolla SMR in La Jolla, (3) Swami’s SMCA in Encinitas, (4) the Laguna Beach SMR in Laguna Beach, and (5) the Pt. Vicente SMCA in Palos Verdes. Inside and outside of MPAs at each site, we ran a tag-recapture program using commercial fishing vessels as research platforms in order to estimate spiny lobster abundance, size-frequency distribution, growth, and spillover. We captured and tagged over 19,000 lobsters in and around the MPAs at each site between 2011 – 2013. To compare lobster abundance inside vs. outside of each MPA, traps were fished at discrete, preselected sites inside and outside MPA boundaries. All captured lobsters over 55 mm carapace length (CL) were tagged with individually numbered plastic “t-bar” tags, and were measured (CL), sexed, and scored for reproductive condition and shell condition (hardness and age of the carapace). Trap positions (GPS) were recorded in order to measure distance moved for recaptured lobsters. Data in this package were used to describe patterns of abundance, size-frequency distribution, growth, reproductive condition, and movement among sites, and between MPA and non-MPA locations.