An investigation on some ecological aspects of the rock lobster, Panulirus homarus in Ramin area, south east of Iran

The rock lobster, Panulirus homarus Linnaeus, 1758 is an important fisheries product of south east waters of Iran. Lobster resources have decreased in recent years due to high fishing. So, stock enhancement activities based on ecological characteristics of the lobster habitats must be considered. Water and sediment samples of the lobster habitats in Ramin, at south of Chahbahar Bay were collected monthly from January to December 2000, by diving. Yearly mean water temperature was 25.56 ±2.8°C with maximum and minimum amounts in May and February, respectively. Yearly means of water salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity were 38.77± 1.71 g/lit, 6.07 ±1.12mg/lit, 8.22 ±0.17 and 3.03 ±2.98, respectively. Yearly frequency of macrobenthos was 133 individuals/m2. Maximum and minimum frequencies of macrobenthos were observed in May and November respectively. Dominant groups of macrobentos were cephalochordata, polychaeta, nematoda, ostracoda, gastropoda, bivalves and amphipoda. Yearly mean weight and carapace length of the collected lobsters were 370.68 ±13.06 g and 71.36 ±15.85 cm, respectively. Increasing water temperature correlated significantly with macrobenthos frequency (p