Decreased abundance of the puerulus stage of the rock lobster,Jasus edwardsii,at Kaikoura, New Zealand (Note)

Abstract
Numbers of the puerulus stage of the rock lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton) in the inter‐tidal zone at Kaikoura, New Zealand (42° 25’ S, 173° 42’ E) appear to have been much greater during 1967–72 than during 1984–87. The catch of pueruli on nearby subtidal collectors has been low since at least 1980 compared with some other parts of the country. The reduction in puerulus numbers at Kaikoura may result from fewer phyllosoma larvae offshore. A consequence of this is a possible decline in rock lobster catches in the Kaikoura fishery.