Age and growth of the commercial spiny lobsters Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) and Panulirus laevicauda (Latreille, 1817) (Decapoda, Palinuridae) in Northeast Brazil: a review

Abstract The two spiny lobster fisheries targeting Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) and Panulirus laevicauda (Latreille, 1817) have made an important marine resource in Northeast Brazil since 1955. The Von Bertalanffy age and growth parameters of the spiny lobster started being studied in 1960 and the last assessment was performed over 20 years ago. The objective of this review is to analyse the type of input data and the methods historically used to assess age and growth of the spiny lobster stock in Northeast Brazil. Our study reviews and updates the research on the subject and proposes relative values for the Von Bertalanffy growth parameters for P. argus and P. laevicauda as provisional reference. We recommend further age and growth research on spiny lobsters to create a new and updated growth function for commercial lobsters in Northeast Brazil.