Lobster resources and culture potential

Abstract

In India, the average annual lobster landings during 1975-1981 were 1,6201 forming 0.8 % in the total crusta cean landings. The average foreign exchange earned by exporting the frozen lobster tails (av. 584 t) during that period is Rs. 54 million. The major species contributing to the exploited fishery are the shallow water spiny lobsters PanuUfus homarus (Linnaeus), P. polyphagus (Herbst) and P. ofnatus (Fabricius). Prasad and Tampi (1968) reported 18 palinurid and 20 scyllarid lobsters in the Indian Ocean, out of which 8 species of palinurids Panulirus homarus, P. ornatuS, P- polyphagus, P. versicolor, P. penicillatus, P. longipes, Puerulus sewelli and Palinustus mossambicus and 5 species of scyllarids Thenus ofientalis, Scyllafus batei, S. rugosus, S. fubens and S. sordidus are known to occur along the Indian coast. The lobsters reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands include 3 species belonging to the family Nephropsidae and 7 species of Eryonidae (Alcock, 1901) and 2 species of Palinuridae (Balss, 1925 ; Cheku- nova, 1971). During the present survey conducted in January-April 1978, data were collected on the occur rence and exploitation ol lobsters which are presented here. Th? potential for lobster culture is indicated.