Influence of size and delayed settlement on the recapture rate of newly settled American lobsters Homarus americanus

Postlarval American lobsters Homarus americanus exhibit variation in size a t settlement and timing of settlement but it is not known if this variabili ty influences future survival. The ability to track the fate of individual newly settled lobsters has become possible with the advent of micro-wise ta gs. In this study micro-wire tags were used to identify individual postlarv al and fifth instar lobsters that were released into the field and then rec aptured 1 wk later. The influence of size at settlement and timing of settl ement on subsequent recapture rate were determined. The overall recapture r ate for tagged postlarvae and fifth instars was approximately 15 %. Larger sized postlarvae and fifth instar lobsters were recaptured significantly mo re frequently than their smaller counterparts. There was no difference in r ecapture rate for postlarvae that delayed settlement, as compared to those that settled at the normal time. Differences in recapture rates between lar ge- and small-sized newly settled lobsters might be associated with emigrat ion, behavioral interactions, or differential survival.