Population Dynamics of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) from the Aveiro region, Portugal (Decapoda, Cambaridae)

The life cycle of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii from a shallow lagoon in the Aveiro region was studied for 14 months. Analysis of the size frequency distribution and growth provided evidence for an extended recruitment period with a peak in autumn (October/November). Females clearly outnumbered males and the average sex-ratio (males/females) was 0.36. The values for the Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L-infinity = 62.01 mm, K = 0.23, and t(0) = 0.11 month. The high abundance of this species and the extended recruitment period, support the need for a proper management and exploitation of this biological resource.