Analyses of the fisheries independent monitoring survey data of the rock lobster resource of South Africa to include the 2011/12 season

Analyses of FIMS data are updated to include data for the 2011/12 season. Results show a drop in the last season’s index for the FIMS relative abundance indices in the Dassen and Lambert’s Bay Zones but there is an increase for Cape Point and Saldanha Bay. For Dassen Island this continues a fairly steady downward trend since 2002. The percentage of females in the last season has increased in the Cape Point and Dassen Zones, but has decreased for Saldanha Bay and Lambert’s Bay