Prey preference of juvenile lobsters (puerulus)
The western rock lobster fishery is Australia’s largest and highest value single-species commercial fishery that is operational across the WA coast. Due to its high economic importance, stock assessment experts closely monitor trends in puerulus settlement as they are accurate predictors of recruitment and lobster catch 3-4 years later. My research will investigate and quantify the prey preference of juvenile western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus). Laboratory feeding preference aquaria trials will be conducted to investigate whether any specific prey type within seagrass beds are preferred by juvenile western rock lobsters. This research is in collaboration with the Fisheries division of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).This project hope to contribute information on the biology of juvenile western rock lobster, to the fishery, potentially increasing the accuracy of western rock lobster stock assessments.
About Me
I grew up in Singapore and moved to Perth in 2016 for university. I graduated from UWA in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Zoology & Marine Science. Since young, I always had a deep affinity with nature which translate into a keen interests for wildlife and conservation. It was not until I moved to Perth that I developed a strong passion for marine biology.
Supervisors
Dr. Tim Langlois, Dr Jane Prince, Simon de Lestang, Jason How
Contact
Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre
School of Biological Sciences (M470)
35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009</p>
