| Summary | Spiny and slipper lobster fishery in the NWHI. The fishery began in 1976 and the landings peaked in 1983-1985 during which time it was Hawaii’s most valuable demersal fishery. CPUE steadily decline over the next decade. The fishery was closed in 2000 because of increasing uncertainty in population and stock assessment models. Since the closure of the fishery there has been no evidence of recovery of either species (O’Malley 2009, 2011). |
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| Project | SESMAD |
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| Subtype | Natural Resource Unit |
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| Sector | Fisheries (Stock-specific) |
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| Biotic | Yes |
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| Explanation | |
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| Commons Aggregation | Guild |
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| Explanation | The NWHI lobster fishery consisted (it was officially closed in 2011 to all commercial fishing) of the Spiny lobster (Panulirus marginatus) and Slipper lobster (Scyllarides squamosus). |
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| Commons Boundaries | Clear boundaries (3) |
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| Explanation | spiny and slipper lobsters are habitat associated species, although they do occur at different depths. They are found in different locations and concentrations around the NWHI, in higher and lower concentrations, but generally the boundaries are clear as to where fishing was permitted and now not permitted. |
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| Commons Indicator | ["Ecosystem health and/or biodiversity", "Status of species targeted by fisheries"] |
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| Explanation | Proxy of fisheries. However the fishery was closed in 2000.
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| Commons Unit Size | Small (2) |
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| Explanation | |
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| Environmental Medium | Oceanic |
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| Explanation | Oceanic |
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| Inter Annual Predictability | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | The availability of the lobster species can be predicted with population dynamics models that have been conducted over a twenty-year period. There are some ecological gaps in knowledge. |
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| Intra Annual Predictability | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | |
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| Commons Renewability | Renewable (1) |
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| Explanation | |
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| Productivity | Moderately Productive (2) |
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| Explanation | Lobsters are usually highly productive creatures, with high output of eggs per female, but it depends on the state of the prey-predator abundance, bank topography, and benthic habitat states of the region (Parrish and Polovina, 1994) |
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| Commons Accessibility | Somewhat accessible (2) |
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| Explanation | In general, lobster are fairly easy to catch, but the NWHI are extremely remote and the fishery is closed (and populations remain low). Traditional harvesting could be permitted with permits. |
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| Commons Heterogeneity | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | Dispersed throughout area of the NWHI in varying densities due to sexual maturity, spawning seasons, and external climate factors. |
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| Commons Mobility | Medium (2) |
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| Explanation | Spiny lobsters move between 18-90 m in depth, depending on age. |
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| Commons Spatial Extent | 362061 |
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| Explanation | This is the area of the NWHI protected area. |
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| Technical Substitute | No |
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| Explanation | |
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