Standard Presentation 2024 Australian Marine Sciences Association Annual Meeting combined with NZMSS

Winding back the clock - A Bayesian approach to quantifying enhanced growth in translocated Southern Rock Lobster (#523)

Stephen Bradshaw 1 , Klaas Hartmann 1 , Caleb Gardner 1 , Katie Cresswell 1 , Denham Parker 2
  1. IMAS, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  2. CSIRO, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Translocation of animals to more favorable environments is a strategic approach to optimize growth and enhance the commercial viability of a species. This study focuses on the Tasmanian Southern Rock Lobster (SRL) program, utilising translocation from deep water to inshore sites to improve growth rates. Here we show that animals experience a phenomenal boost in growth - largely winding back the clock - and exhibiting growth behaviour indicative of growth from the steeper part of the growth curve, as opposed to that of an animal nearing the plateau of growth. We employed a von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) modeling approach with capture-recapture data. Notably, the method constrains the maximum attainable length Linf similarly for receiving site and translocated lobsters, facilitating a comparison of growth constants K. Comprehensive comparisons with source (deep water) animals are provided, including growth increment estimations. This success story from the Tasmanian Southern Rock Lobster program exemplifies the potential benefits of strategic translocation, offering a promising approach to manage and optimize the growth of various species in the face of changing environmental conditions.