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Size and sex composition of noble crayfish Astacus astacus L. in trap catches in Lake Steinsfjorden, S. E. Norway: effect of exploitation
Skurdal J, Qvenild T and Taugbøl T 
Published Online: 6/1/2020
Abstract
The noble crayfish in Lake Steinsfjorden is heavily exploited. In 1981 and 1982 we recorded size and sex of crayfish in trap catches, before and after the fishing season, as well as in trap catches of local fishermen during the fishing season to test the effect of exploitation on size and sex composition. In the pre-season trap catches, only 5% of the crayfish were ? 100 mm total length (TL). The fraction of legal-sized crayfish (i.e. ? 95 mm TL) and the fraction of males in the catches of local fishermen varied significantly during the fishing season in both 1981 and 1982. However, the variation does not support the hypothesis that large individuals and males are caught first when exploiting noble crayfish with baited traps. Comparison of pre- and post-season test fishing trap catches show a marked reduction (45-55%) in the fraction of non-legal sized crayfish in the 85-92 mm TL interval. This reduced legal harvest by about 25% and may also reduce recruitment because females become sexually mature at 70-85 mm TL.
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Skurdal J, Qvenild T and Taugbøl T. (1995). Size and sex composition of noble crayfish Astacus astacus L in trap catches in Lake Steinsfjorden, S E Norway: effect of exploitation. Freshwater Crayfish 8(1):249-256. doi: 10.5869/fc.1995.v8.249
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