California Spiny Lobster (Panulirus interruptus), California South Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2012 to 2013

The South Coast Lobster Research Group (SCLRG) was formed in 2011 in response to interest in how MPAs may affect the abundance, size, and behavior of the California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus). The SCLRG is a partnership between scientists, managers, stakeholders, and volunteers, and encompasses personnel from the San Diego State University (SDSU), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), the San Diego Oceans Foundation (SDOF), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the California Lobster Trap Fishermen’s Association (CLTFA). We identified five sites in the South Coast Region at which to work, each with a newly established MPA: (1) the Cabrillo SMR in San Diego, (2) the South La Jolla SMR in La Jolla, (3) Swami’s SMCA in Encinitas, (4) the Laguna Beach SMR in Laguna Beach, and (5) the Pt. Vicente SMCA in Palos Verdes. Inside and outside of MPAs at each site, we conducted daytime SCUBA-based transect surveys of rocky reefs (5 – 15 m depth) between May and September of 2012 and 2013. The number of lobsters in four different size categories, as well depth, relief, and benthic habitat features (biogenic and non-biogenic) were recorded on each transect.

[
  "Natural Resources",
  "Water"
]