THE ROLE OF BENTHIC HABITAT, OCEANOGRAPHY, AND FISHING ON THE POPULATION-DYNAMICS OF THE SPINY LOBSTER, PANULIRUS-MARGINATUS (DECAPODA, PALINURIDAE), IN THE HAWAIIAN ARCHIPELAGO

Temporal and spacial variation in relative abundance and production of spiny lobster Panulirus marginatus in the northwestern Hawaiian islan ds has been documented from commercial catch-and-effort and research t rapping data. Data on benthic habitat collected from scuba transects a nd data on oceanography, and the pelagic distribution of larval lobste rs are used to explain adult lobster temporal and spatial variation. W e find the amount of 5-30 cm vertical relief and the height of bank su mmits explain considerable spatial variation in lobster abundance. Con siderable interannual variation in lobster production at the northwest ern portion of the fishing grounds is explained by the sea level gradi ent along the archipelago which appears to measure the strength of the Subtropical Counter Current, Evidence of a 50% drop in recruitment to the fishery has been observed since 1989. Recruitment overfishing and a decadal climate event may be responsible for this recruitment decli ne.