Growth rate of juvenile rock lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) at Stewart Island, New Zealand

Growth rates of small juvenile rock lobsters ( Jasus edwardsii ) for the first three years after puerulus settlement were estimated at Stewart Island from samples taken between June 1982 and September 1984. Males reached a mean carapace length of 32–34 mm the first year after puerulus settlement, 50–54 mm the second, and 65–73 mm the third. Females reached a mean carapace length of 31–34 mm the first year, 47–52 mm the second, and 62–70 mm the third. Both sexes reached larger sizes at 2 and 3 years of age in 1982 than in 1983 and 1984. and males grew faster than females in all three years. The observed growth rates at Stewart Island were slower than those for juveniles sampled at Gisborne in 1978 and 1979 in 19 out of 24 comparisons.