Data from: Harvesting changes mating behavior in European lobster ...

• Main Authors: Sørdalen, Tonje K., Halvorsen, Kim T., Harrison, Hugo B., Ellis, Charlie D., Vøllestad, Leif Asbjørn, Knutsen, Halvor, Moland, Even, Olsen, Esben M.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2018
• Subjects: marine protected area MPA; assortative mating; Homarus gammarus; parentage analysis; Norway; European lobster
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1b1f023; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.1b1f023

Removing individuals from a wild population can affect the availability of prospective mates and the outcome of competitive interactions, with subsequent effects on mating patterns and sexual selection. Consequently, the rate of harvest-induced evolution is predicted to be strongly dependent on the strength and dynamics of sexual selection yet, there is limited empirical knowledge on the interplay between selective harvesting and the mating systems of exploited species. In this study, we used genetic parentage assignment to compare mating patterns of the highly valued and overexploited European lobster (Homarus gammarus) in a designated lobster reserve and nearby fished area in Southern Norway. In the area open to fishing, the fishery is regulated by a closed season, a minimum legal size and a ban on the harvest of egg-bearing females. Due to the differences in size and sex-specific fishing mortality between the two areas, males and females are of approximately equal average size in the fished area, whereas ... : Genotype dataGenotypes of males, females and offspring (eggs) used in the parentage assignment.Paternity assesment dataAssesment of multiple and single paternity in offspring batches. ...