Hi CRUST-Lers and FISH-E's (apologies for cross-posts).  A colleague
of mine asked me to post this:

Is a directed trap-fishery for deep-water rock lobster Palinurus
delagoae off South Africa feasible? It is, and has been for quite a
while, off Mozambique, but here in the south, experimental permits
were granted scarcely three years ago. Research got in there right
away with annual  surveys to determine distribution, benchmark
abundances and initial catch rate declines.

Is this new in developing rock lobster fisheries? The normal trend is
that science waits until a fishery has been going for a while before
embarking on research, surveys etc., often resulting in the initial
fishing down phase not being recorded properly. I am particularly
interested in this development phase of rock lobster fisheries. How
was it treated in your neighbourhood fishery?

- Johan

Dave Schoeman
Sea Fisheries Research Institute
Private Bag X2
Rogge Bay 8012
Cape Town, South Africa
Phone: (021) 4023127