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Abstract
Two experiments on the rearing of the spiny lobster Panulirus homarus were conducted in land-based tanks at Mirbat Aquaculture Unit from June to December 2009 and January-December 2010. In the first experiment 14 lobsters with an average size of 64.9±7.4 mm CL and weight of 297.8±98.0 g were reared to an average of 71.7±7.2 mm CL and weight of 384.0±114.8 g over 187 days. In the second experiment 45 lobsters were reared from an initial length of 45.4±4.6 mm CL and weight of 118.9 g to a length 66.0±7.1 mm CL and a weight of 304.1 g over 335 days. Total length increment was 45.8% and weight increment 155.1%. The daily food ration was 3.0-8.8%. The survival rate in the first experiment was 92.9%, in the second experiment it was also high (86.7%) during the first six months. In both experiments males grew faster than females. While the water temperature, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen reflected the ambient condition of the Arabian Sea, these were not optimal levels for lobsters culture. The salinity was higher (37.5 ppt), while the water temperature was low (<20oC) during the summer monsoon. The study demonstrated the possibility of cultivating sub-adult lobsters in Oman from 40–45 mm CL and 100 g to maturity stage, obtaining the legal size of 70 mm CL and a weight of about 350 g over a year. It is recommended that the next experiment be conducted in floating sea cages from October to June.