LOBSTER MOVEMENTS IN RESPONSE TO A HURRICANE

There are several anecdotal reports of the American lobster Homarus am ericanus moving to deeper water, or suffering increased mortality, in response to storm events. It has also been reported that changes in sa linity and temperature, similar to those resulting from storm events, can elicit avoidance behaviors. In 1991, during an ongoing lobster stu dy, Hurricane Bob caused a substantial drop in salinity in the Great B ay Estuary, New Hamphire, USA. This freshet, and possibly related envi ronmental perturbations, was associated with increased movement of lob sters down the estuary toward the coast and a rise in catch in areas c loser to the coast. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that storms can induce movements of lobsters and subsequent transient shifts in th e demographics of the lobster population.