Larval southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) distribution and ecology in southeastern Australia

This study examined the larval biology and ecology of the southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) based on approximately 3000 archived plankton and mid-water trawl samples held, principally, by CSIRO, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, and the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Victoria. Additional samples were provided by the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere, New Zealand; some samples were opportunistically collected during the project to fill in areas where there was a lack of archived samples. The combined sample set covered the major geographic range of the fishery in Australia (132E/32S - 155E/46S). Details of larval growth, duration and distribution were combined with concurrently collected hydrographic data and satellite based observations to examine possible larval transport mechanisms, connectivity between management zones and physical factors that may influence the supply of larvae on a regional basis. The dataset is primarily in Excel format with a summary of the results presented in a final report to FRDC (project number 96/107).