WITHIN-BURROW BEHAVIOR OF JUVENILE EUROPEAN LOBSTERS HOMARUS-GAMMARUS(L)

The behaviour of juvenile European lobsters (Homarus gammarus (L.)) in artificial burrows was observed in the laboratory to determine featur es of within-burrow behaviour likely to be important in their survival and well-being during the early benthic phase of life. Burrow constru ction methods and within-burrow behaviour of individually held, hatche ry reared, juvenile lobsters (12 to 20 mm CL) in mid-intermoult were o bserved in clear plastic aquaria half filled with cohesive mud taken f rom Newcastle Bay. Eleven separate behaviour categories were identifie d although it was found that most activities did not occur on their ow n or, necessarily, in one particular location. Behaviour categories in cluded pleopod fanning, cleaning, food burying and retrieval, feeding, substrate probing and picking, sieving and moving substrate and resti ng. Factors affecting burrow occupancy and the durations of selected a ctivities inside the burrow were burrow chamber size, number of entran ces, water flow, moulting and hunger. Hunger increased the time spent by lobsters outside the burrow and in probing and picking at the burro w substrate. Lobsters that had recently experienced a period of starva tion had a greater tendancy to cache food between feeding bouts than t hose that had been fed daily. The implications of the results for juve nile lobster ecology and stock enhancement programmes are discussed.