English abstract
The spiny lobster Parulirus homarus is widely distributed in the Indo - West Pacific . Along the coast of Oman it supports an artisanal fishery using traps and tangle nets. The egg - bearing incidence of females caught between 1989 and 2006 were analysed relative to month , lobster size and location of capture. The smallest female with external eggs had a carapace length ( CL ) of 54 . 6 mm , but only 918% of females of 60 - 69 mm CL carried eggs. This percentage increased significantly above 70 mm CL, and on average, 63% of individuals > 90 min carried eggs. Egg - bearing increased seasonally at the onset of the SW monsoon in May and June, when wind - driven upwelling reduces inshore water temperatures and increases primary productivity. The reproductive season extended over a9 - month period up to January , with a pause in February to April, No geographical gradient in egg - bearing seasonality was observed. The prolonged breeding season with multiple broods in large females conforns with the typical pattern of tropical palinuids . The 2 - month open fishing season ( 15h October to 15th December ) falls within the breeding season, and may be more optinally placed in February to April.
