Abstract:

Eight species of the order Stomatopoda were identified in the by-catch of a Moreton Bay prawn trawl survey between 1988 and 1990. Of these stomatopods six species are marketed as commercial by-catch. The catch (by weight) of stomatopods over the sample period was one sixth that of the penaeid catch and at three of the nine sampling stations they made up over one quarter. Stomatopods were most abundant during December to February with numbers declining dramatically during winter (a trend similar to the penaeid catches). The most abundant species (Oratosquilla stephensoni) exhibited bi-modal length frequency distributions, suggesting the presence of two age cohorts. Lengths frequency analysis indicated that O. stephensoni fast growth (L=8163mm, 1.52 year-1) and a high total instantaneous mortality rate (3.8-4.7 year-1) with an estimated life span of approximately 2.5 years. The importance and utilization of stomatopods as a marketable by-catch is also discussed.

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Date 1999/08/01

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