Population Dynamics of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) from the Aveiro region, Portugal (Decapoda, Cambaridae)

The life cycle of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii from a shallo w lagoon in the Aveiro region was studied for 14 months. Analysis of the si ze frequency distribution and growth provided evidence for an extended recr uitment period with a peak in autumn (October/November). Females clearly ou tnumbered males and the average sex-ratio (males/females) was 0.36. The val ues for the Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L-infinity = 62.01 mm, K = 0.23, and t(0) = 0.11 month. The high abundance of this species and the extended recruitment period, sup port the need for a proper management and exploitation of this biological r esource.