Refining Culture Technology for Growing Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus argus, from Pueruli to Market in Puerto Rico

Spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, aquaculture on a global scale is a small fraction of the total annual wild harvest. The ability to advance the culture of spiny lobsters will reduce the stress on the natural stock while providing a highly desired product. The culture cycle is dependent on the collection of lobster pueruli from the wild, due to the difficulty in rearing the larvae through the yearlong cycle. Snapperfarm, Inc. moored its first two offshore fish submerged sea cages in the Puerto Rico in 2002. These cages quickly became large settlement collectors for spiny lobster pueruli, which were drifting to nearshore for settlement. The collection of pueruli from offshore sea cages represents a novel technique, which differs from the traditional methods ¿ small floating collectors and plankton nets. Building on the results in Phase I, Snapperfarm will address in Phase II the bottlenecks to commercial culture of spiny lobster. The objectives and approaches include refining pueruli collection techniques, developing feed for juveniles, using growout cages to raise lobsters to market, and finding value-added markets for cultured lobsters. As these refinements are realized, Snapperfarm, Inc. can expand their research lobster culture program to a successful and profitable business (Phase III).