Population dynamics and management of scalloped spiny lobster Panulirus homarus in Oman coastal waters

Abstract

Spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus) population, one of the most valuable fishery resources in Oman, is assessed based on the length frequency data collected from the Arabian Sea during the lobster fishing season. The assessment was carried out using 6,498 lobsters covering a length range of 37- 134 mm carapace length (CL), sampled in Arabian Sea coastal waters during March and April, 2011 and 2012. By applying the Y/R analysis on the pseudo-cohort of 2011-2012 using VIT program, it is noticed that this stock is heavily exploited, being the fishery operating below the optimal yield level since the current Y/R is greatly lower than the maximum. Results suggest a decreasing trend in the average fishing mortality along the studied period by about 40-60%. The effects of different management scenarios including present strategy on the short-term yield of the stock were explored and some addition management measures were proposed.

Keywords: Oman, Arabian Sea, Panulirus homarus, population dynamics, stock assessment, management.