Landings of European lobster (Homarus gammarus) and edible crab (Cancer pagurus) from 1615 to 2009, Helgoland, North Sea

• Main Authors: Schmalenbach, Isabel, Mehrtens, Folke, Janke, Michael, Buchholz, Friedrich
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: BAH; Helgoland_lobster_1615-2009; Helgoland; North Sea; LTER_Benthos; Macrobenthic long-term series in the German Bight; Shelf Seas Systems Ecology @ AWI (former Biologische Anstalt Helgoland); Rocky Island; European lobster; Homarus gammarus
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.727206; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.727206

From 2000 to 2005 about 5400 one-year-old hatchery-reared lobsters (Homarus gammarus) were tagged and released at the rocky island of Helgoland, North Sea. To date, 1-8% of the different release cohorts were recaptured in the field and 8-19% of these lobsters were recaptured from the semi-open area of the outer harbour. The recaptured lobsters indicated good development and growth conditions. The smallest berried females caught were 83 mm carapace length and 4 years old. The proportion of cultured lobsters to all measured lobsters captured around the island was 3-8% in the years 2007-2009. The population size of two cohorts was assessed using the Lincoln-Peterson method and the estimated survival rate averaged 30% and 40%. Minimum landing size of cultured lobsters was reached after 4-7 years. Cultured lobsters showed strong fidelity to their release sites, and thus remained around the island of Helgoland. A basis has been laid to enhance this endangered lobster population by means of a large scale restocking programme.