AGE STRUCTURE OF PANULIRUS-ORNATUS IN 2 HABITATS IN TORRES STRAIT, AUSTRALIA

The lobster population in Torres Strait, Australia, is made up of juve nile and sub-adult lobsters up to two years old (1+ and 2+), with some 3-year-old (3+) male lobsters. These lobsters live either on shallow reefs or in the deeper areas between reefs, Intensive surveys of lobst ers in these two habitats showed that 1+ lobsters live only in the dee p habitat, 2+ lobsters live in the deep habitat and on shallow reefs, and 3+ male lobsters live mainly on shallow reefs. In the deep habitat , lobsters were found mainly in areas that had rock and rubble substra tum. There may be little movement of lobsters onto or off the shallow reefs during the winter months and 1+ lobsters probably recruit onto t he shallow reefs soon after the annual breeding migration of 2+ lobste rs out of Torres Strait in early summer.