REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY IN GREEN SPINY LOBSTER, PANULIRUS REGIUS (DE BRITO CAPELLO 1864), FROM THE PETITE COTE OF SENEGAL, WEST AFRICA

Green spiny lobster is one of the highest economically valued fisheries resources in Senegal. However, knowledge on this species are relatively old and insufficient. To realize this study on reproductive biology of Panulirusregius, sampling has been carried out between April and September 2017 from small-scale fisheries landed catches at the Petite Cote, Senegal. The length at first sexual maturity computed from the body allometric relationship according to the cephalothorax length (CL) was 67.95 mm in females and 67.51 mm in males. The CL at which 50% of the females were mature during the breeding season (CL50) was 94.50 mm. Individual fecundity was between 229,860 and 638,775 eggs depending on CL of individuals. In the catches surveyed, 64% of landed individuals had a total length (TL) less than 200 mm, which is the minimum landing length in accordance with the Senegalese fisheries law. This result indicates the difficulties to apply management measures relative to this fishery, which could compromise its sustainability in Senegalese Petite Cote.