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American Lobster, Homarus americanus, Reproduction and Recruitment in a New England Estuary

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Abstract

While egg-bearing (ovigerous) American lobsters are found in estuaries, it is not known if they are present when their eggs hatch. The major goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that a portion of the larvae that serve as new recruits to the Great Bay Estuary lobster population originate from females that are year-around residents. First, a total of nine ovigerous lobsters were fitted with acoustic transmitters and tracked from October through the following spring-to-early summer. We found that all lobsters overwintered in the estuary and were located again within 1 km of their fall positions the following May–June, when their eggs likely hatched. Second, sea sampling surveys carried out in the spring revealed that ovigerous lobsters in the estuary were carrying more developed eggs than their coastal counterparts. Third, through a series of laboratory-based studies, we calculated the putative hatch dates of egg clutches carried by estuarine and coastal lobsters and show that estuarine lobster eggs likely hatch 2–3 weeks earlier than eggs carried by coastal females. Finally, plankton tow surveys in the estuary revealed that stage I larval lobsters (zoeae) were present in the estuary from May to July, which encompasses the predicted hatching period for both estuarine and coastal eggs. Therefore, new recruits to the Great Bay Estuary lobster population likely come from both resident estuarine lobsters and coastal females.

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Acknowledgments

This manuscript is based on parts of three thesis works by Elizabeth Moore, Jason Goldstein, and Thomas Langley that have been accepted by the University of New Hampshire in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (JSG) and Master of Science (EM and TL). The authors would like to thank Josh Carloni, Helen Cheng, Nate Rennels, Dave Shay, Noel Carlson, and Stephanie Sykes for their help in the lab and in the field.

Funding

Funding for this work was provided by the New Hampshire Sea Grant (# R/SSS-3) to WHW, the William R. Spaulding Endowment to EMM, and a National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship to JSG.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, School of Marine Sciences and Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03823, USA

    Elizabeth M. Moore, Thomas G. Langley & Winsor H. Watson III

  2. Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, Maine Coastal Ecology Center, Wells, ME, 04090, USA

    Jason S. Goldstein

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  1. Elizabeth M. Moore
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  4. Winsor H. Watson III
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Correspondence to Elizabeth M. Moore.

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Communicated by Nancy L. Jackson

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Moore, E.M., Langley, T.G., Goldstein, J.S. et al. American Lobster, Homarus americanus, Reproduction and Recruitment in a New England Estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 43, 2141–2151 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00759-4

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