Spatial Structure of the Caribbean Lobster (Metanephrops binghami) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea
Helgoland Marine Research, Online 29 January 2011
Jorge Paramo and Ulrich Saint-Paul
“Crustaceans of the genus Metanephrops are of great commercial value in some tropical and subtropical regions. With the potential development of a new deep lobster fishery in the Colombian Caribbean Sea, the objective of this work is to describe for first time the patterns of spatial and bathymetric distribution, and diel migratory periodicity of the Caribbean lobster (M. binghami). Data were collected by trawling in depths between 200 and 550 m (100 m strata intervals) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. Higher biomass and size of these crustaceans were found between 250 and 350 m, with a maximum at about 300 m. The study offers diel patterns of M. binghami, which suggests nocturnal activity and burrowing during daylight hours. “
