Using acoustic tagging to determine adult spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) movement patterns in the Western Sambo Ecological Reserve (Florida, United States)

We used acoustic telemetry to study the movements of spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) during the spring and summer of 2003 and 2004 in Hawk Channel in the Western Sambo Ecological Reserve near Key West, Florida, United States. Overall, lobsters generally showed greatest movement after sunset and before sunrise with relatively less movement between midnight and 0200 h, however, there was great variability in movement patterns between individual lobsters and these variations were related to size or sex. Little or no movement occurred during daytime. Patterns of movement, as revealed by acoustic telemetry revealed that some lobsters repeatedly travelled to the same foraging area at the same time and then returned to the same patch reef (homing ability). Female lobsters that were reproductively active, exhibited movement patterns consistent with reproductive migrations to the forereef. These migrations lasted approximately I week and the lobster returned to the same patch reef presumably using the same homing ability used during daily activities. Although not statistically significant, the greatest overall daily total movement (total distance travelled) was found in small females. Small females also showed the greatest net daily movement (distance between denning locations) which suggests they had the highest rate of changing dens. The greater daily movement of small females did not convert to greater home ranges. There was no pattern in home range size with respect to the size and sex of lobsters.