Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6385746 | Fisheries Research | 2015 | 12 Pages |
Abstract
Freshwater crayfish or kÅura (Paranephrops planifrons White, 1842) support important customary fisheries for Te Arawa iwi (tribal members) in the Te Arawa lakes, North Island, New Zealand. Until recently, however, there was limited published information on which to base fisheries regulations. We sampled over 9000 kÅura in eight lakes using a traditional MÄori harvesting method known as the tau kÅura, which comprised bundles of bracken fern fronds (Pteridium esculentum) laid on the lake bed. We examined the catch rates and biological traits of kÅura in the Te Arawa lakes and the implications for the current fishing regulations and kÅura management. KÅura were present in all of the study lakes except Åkaro, but harvestable quantities were only found in Rotorua, RotomÄ and Rotoiti. The overall ratio of females to males was about 1:1. Egg-bearing kÅura were found throughout the year, but only occasionally during the summer months. KÅura fecundity increased as a power function of orbit-carapace length (OCL). Size at onset of breeding for 50% of females, in lakes where kÅura were present, ranged from 22.1Â mm OCL to 27.5Â mm OCL. In addition to existing regulations, the following management measures are recommended: (1) implementing a slot limit with a minimum size of 28Â mm and a maximum size of 39Â mm OCL, (2) banning the taking of egg-bearing kÅura, (3) limiting deep-water harvest methods to the use of the tau kÅura, and (4) implementing a tau kÅura harvest season beginning on 1 December and ending on 31 March.
Keywords
Related Topics
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Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Aquatic Science
Authors
Ian A. Kusabs, Brendan J. Hicks, John M. Quinn, David P. Hamilton,