Spiny Lobster Panulirus interruptus ©B. Guild Gillespie/www.chartingnature.com California Traps December 27, 2012 Meghan Sullivan, Consulting Researcher Disclaimer Seafood Watch® strives to ensure all our Seafood Reports and the recommendations contained therein are accurate and reflect the most up-to-date evidence available at time of publication. All our reports are peer- reviewed for accuracy and completeness by external scientists with expertise in ecology, fisheries science or aquaculture. Scientific review, however, does not constitute an endorsement of the Seafood Watch program or its recommendations on the part of the reviewing scientists. Seafood Watch is solely responsible for the conclusions reached in this report. We always welcome additional or updated data that can be used for the next revision. Seafood Watch and Seafood Reports are made possible through a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. 2 Final Seafood Recommendation This report covers wild-caught California spiny lobster caught by traps in California waters. This species is a Good Alternative. Impacts Impacts on Manage- Habitat and Stock Fishery on the Overall other Species ment Ecosystem Stock Rank Lowest scoring species Rank Rank Recommendation (Score) Rank*, Subscore, Score Score Score Score California Spiny Lobster California Spiny California Spiny Lobster Yellow Yellow Yellow GOOD ALTERNATIVE Lobster, Cormorants 3.05 3 3.12 2.84 Yellow, 3.05,2.29 Scoring note – scores range from zero to five where zero indicates very poor performance and five indicates the fishing operations have no significant impact. 3 Table of Contents Final Seafood Recommendation ................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Analysis ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Criterion 1: Stock for Which You Want a Recommendation ..................................................................................... 9 Criterion 2: Impacts on Other Retained and Bycatch Stocks ................................................................................... 12 Criterion 3: Management effectiveness .................................................................................................................. 15 Criterion 4: Impacts on the Habitat and Ecosystem ................................................................................................ 19 Overall Recommendation ........................................................................................................................... 22 Appendix A: Review Schedule .................................................................................................................... 26 About Seafood Watch® ............................................................................................................................... 28 Guiding Principles ....................................................................................................................................... 29 4 Executive Summary The spiny lobster is a widely fished marine invertebrate. There are several distinct species of spiny lobster located in various areas of the world. This report will provide information and recommendations for the California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) fished with traps in the waters of California. The California spiny lobster is found along the western coast of North America from Monterey, California to Manzanillo, Mexico though a small population exists in the Gulf of California. The spiny lobster is moderately vulnerable to fishing pressure. They tend to mature fairly quickly (around 5 years on average), compared to their life span (approximately 20-30 years). Mature spiny lobsters tend to spawn once a year and females produce upwards of 50,000 eggs, which can disperse widely in the 7 to 11 months spent in a planktonic stage. Regular stock assessments for spiny lobster are rare. However, the California spiny lobster fishery has recently experienced steady landings and the most recent assessment suggests the California spiny lobster population is stable. Fishing mortality is estimated based on commercial landing receipts and logbook data, but the impact of the recreational fishery results in an essentially unknown mortality. The impact of the spiny lobster fishery in California on the stock is ranked green. In the absence of a comprehensive bycatch study, or the collection of fishery dependent data, it has not been possible to determine which non-target species are impacted by the spiny lobster fishery in California. Following discussion with stakeholders, Seafood Watch recognizes that the fishery is known to interact with sheephead, Kellet’s whelk, and rock crab. These species, however, are not considered to be species of concern and are not believed to be caught in significant numbers, as the overall bycatch rate is in the region of 8%–15% (based on similar fisheries in Mexico). The fishery is also known to interact with cormorants, particularly around the Channel Islands, although accurate information about these impacts is unavailable. Seafood Watch recognizes that undersized lobsters are likely to make up the majority of discards, but they are considered under criterion 1 as they are part of the target species. Additionally, in the absence of a study regarding post-capture release, this analysis assumes 100% mortality for finfish and 50% mortality for invertebrates. Due to the effect of ghost fishing by lost traps, the incidence of capture is likely to be higher than known bycatch rates, however, as there is no species specific data on the impacts of ghost fishing in this region, and many species have been observed entering and leaving traps freely, it is not believed that any species will be impacted significantly. Management of the spiny lobster fishery in California carries a moderate conservation concern. There is a large recreational fishery for spiny lobster, but this report focuses on the commercial fishery only. Lobster populations are protected through the use of closed areas, size limits, specific seasons to protect breeding females, gear restrictions, and limited entry into the fishery. In addition, gear restrictions are designed to reduce capture of undersized lobsters. Research about the stock and impacts to other species have been fairly limited to date. 5 Enforcement of existing regulations is ongoing and results in punishments for illegal fishing and poaching. Overall, the management of the spiny lobster fishery is ranked yellow. The commercial spiny lobster fishery in California is entirely trap based. Traps result in some damage to the benthic habitat but California has established a large network of marine protected areas to protect a wide range of habitats from fishing. The ecosystem impacts from the trap fishery are a moderate conservation concern. 6 Introduction Scope of the analysis and ensuing recommendation The spiny lobster is a widely fished marine invertebrate. There are several distinct species of spiny lobster located in various areas of the world. This report will provide information and recommendations for the California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) fished with traps in the waters of Southern California. The California spiny lobster is found along the western coast of North America from Monterey, California to Manzanillo, Mexico though a small population exists in the Gulf of California (CDFG 2011a, Figure 1). Figure 1: Primary distribution range of the California spiny lobster. Figure from CADFG 2011c Overview of the species and management bodies The spiny lobster, of the genus Panulirus, contains approximately 20 different species occurring worldwide in tropical and semitropical waters (Pollack 1995). The spiny lobster can be easily distinguished by the long, spiny antennae and by the lack of claws on the first four pairs of legs (Holthuis 1991). Spiny lobsters are typically found at depths from 0 to 90 meters, depending upon the species (Holthuis 1991). Juvenile lobsters are known to spend their first few years in nearshore surf grass beds while adults are often found on rocky substrates, reefs, as well as within surf grass beds; areas that provide protection (CDFG 2001). Spiny lobsters tend to be 7 nocturnal and migrate among depths depending upon the season, generally moving deeper in winter months (CDFG 2001). Several different species of spiny lobster support commercial fisheries worldwide. As previously mentioned, this report covers the spiny lobster fishery in California. The fishery in California is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) [The California Department of Fish and Game is changing their name to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but this report retains the existing name and acronym] and occurs along the southern California Bight from Point Conception south to the Mexican border. The CDFG regulates the fishery through a minimum size limit of 3.25-inch carapace length. The size is greater than that at which individuals reach sexual maturity, thereby ensuring the survival of younger