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Exploitation of organisms can prompt the reduction in the number and size of target populations consequently affecting reproductive output and replenishment. Here, we investigated the effects of exploitation on the population structure of a protandrous patellid limpet, Patella aspera, an overexploited Macaronesian endemic. Timed dives were used to collect animals across eleven islands of Macaronesia. Individuals were inspected for sex, size, and gonad stage. Using catch effort (time per person) per island coastal perimeter as a surrogate for exploitation intensity, we found that limpet abundance (CPUE) and mean size tended to decrease with exploitation intensity. When considering the sex of animals separately, the size of the largest male, but not females, decreased with exploitation. In contrast, the size of the smallest male remained relatively consistent, whereas the size of the smallest female decreased significantly with exploitation. As exploitation is mostly targeting larger individuals, results suggest that males are compensating the removal of larger females, by undergoing sex change at smaller and presumably earlier sizes. These results have wider implications for the conservation of P. aspera, as a reduction in female size will likely affect the numbers of oocytes produced, hence fecundity. Regulations promoting the protection of the larger‐sized animals should be enforced to safeguard the replenishment of the population.

This study reports reference intervals and correlations of blood analytes of oceanic-juvenile loggerhead sea turtles from Azorean waters with body size and comparison of data to neritic loggerheads from the US Atlantic coast. The observed findings highlight conservation-relevant biological (e.g. diet, somatic growth) and habitat differences among both populations., Blood analyte reference intervals are scarce for immature life stages of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). The objectives of this study were to (1) document reference intervals of packed cell volume (PCV) and 20 plasma chemistry analytes from wild oceanic-juvenile stage loggerhead turtles from Azorean waters, (2) investigate correlations with body size (minimum straight carapace length: SCLmin) and (3) compare plasma chemistry data to those from older, larger neritic juveniles (

Juvenile oceanic-stage sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to the increasing quantity of plastic coming into the oceans. In this study, we analysed the gastrointestinal tracts of 24 juvenile oceanic-stage loggerheads ( Caretta caretta ) collected off the North Atlantic subtropical gyre, in the Azores region, a key feeding ground for juvenile loggerheads. Twenty individuals were found to have ingested marine debris (83%), composed exclusively of plastic items (primarily polyethylene and polypropylene) identified by μ-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Large microplastics (1–5 mm) represented 25% of the total number of debris and were found in 58% of the individuals sampled. Average number of items was 15.83 ± 6.09 (± SE) per individual, corresponding to a mean dry mass of 1.07 ± 0.41 g. The results of this study demonstrate that plastic pollution acts as another stressor for this critical life stage of loggerhead turtles in the North Atlantic.

Malcolm Roy Clarke (1930–2013) was a British teuthologist who made an important contribution to marine science in the Azores archipelago (Portugal). Malcolm started doing research in the Azores from 1980s onward, settling for residency in 2000 after retirement (in 1987). He kept publishing on Azorean cephalopods collaborating in 20% of the peer reviewed works focus- ing on two main areas: dietary studies; and the ecology of cephalopods on seamounts. Since his first visit in 1981, he was involved in the description of the dietary ecology of several cetaceans, seabirds, and large pelagic and deep-water fish. Using his own data, Malcolm revised the association of cephalopods with seamounts, updating and enlarging the different cephalopod groups according to species behaviour and ecology. Malcolm taught several students working in the Azores on cephalopods and beak identification, lecturing the Third International Workshop in Faial (2007). He empowered the recently established research community, by providing important contacts with foreign institutes and informal advice. He collaborated in the regional cetacean stranding network (RACA) and was an active member of the advisory board of the journal Arquipelago—Life and Marine Sciences. But the scientific role of Malcolm Clarke in the Azores went beyond his academic activities. In the last 10 years Malcolm and Dot Clarke dedicated themselves to building and running a museum on Pico Island, showing the biology of the sperm whale and its interaction with squid; a cultural and touristic legacy for future generations to enjoy. Directorate for Education, Science and Culture, of the Regional Government of the Azores (M3.1.2/F/062/2011) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Grapsoid crabs of the genera Planes and Plagusia are commonly referred to as “rafting crabs” due to their propensity to live on flotsam and pelagic marine animals. Planes minutus and Planes major (=Planes cyaneus) are epibionts of sea turtles. Occurrences of grapsoid crabs in the genera Planes and Plagusia were evaluated on a total of 27 olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea, from the eastern tropic Pacific (1998–2001) and the Hawaiian Islands (2002) captured in July–December each year. This is the first report of Planes marinus and Plagusia squamosa on sea turtles, and of P. major, P. marinus, and P. squamosa in sympatry on a confined substrate. Stomach content analyses showed P. major and P. marinus consumed a variety of neuston and marine vegetation, with the former consuming considerably more animal material. Epibiotic P. squamosa consumed mostly plant material. The three Planes species had distinctive differences in gastric mill tooth morphology. The versatile mouthparts of P. marinus are described and resemble those of their congeners. Most female P. major and P. marinus collected were ovigerous and present in all survey months.

The veined squid, Loligo forbesii, is found throughout the northeast Atlantic, including the waters off the Iberian Peninsula, and is a socio-economically important cephalopod species, sustaining several small-scale commercial and local artisanal fisheries. This study uses Iberian and Azorean trawl survey and fishery landings data from 1990 to 1992 and employs additive modelling to examine the relationships amongst somatic growth, season and gonad growth, in an attempt to determine the relative importance of intrinsic (e.g. nutritional state and body size) and extrinsic (temperature and daylight) factors which contribute to maturation in L. forbesii. We compare the results with those from a comparative analysis of contemporaneous data on Loligo vulgaris from the Iberian coast, and with a re-analysis of previously published results for L. forbesii in Scottish waters. Reproductive organ weight in both sexes of L. forbesii from all ports shows seasonal patterns with a fall/winter peak in maturation, as is expected with the animals’ year-long life cycle. Two maturity peaks (spring and winter) were found for both Azores L. forbesii males and females, possibly evidence of two breeding cohorts, with males maturing approximately 1 month earlier than females in both seasons. For L. vulgaris, three annual peaks in reproductive weight were identified. With the exception of L. forbesii males from Scottish waters, in all study animals, the partial effect of mantle length and mantle weight on reproductive weight is positive up to large body sizes. The relationship between nutritional status and reproductive weight is also generally positive. Geographic variation in the relationships, as seen between Scottish males and samples from the other study areas, is hypothesised to be largely attributable to local differences in environmental conditions (productivity, food availability, temperature, upwelling), although differences between L. forbesii from the Azores, Scotland and mainland Europe may also relate to previously documented genetic differences.

We examined stomach contents (n = 12) and fecal samples (n = 4) in the first quantita- tive analysis of diet composition of oceanic-stage loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta from the North Atlantic Ocean. We found that loggerheads from the Azores are opportunistic carnivores that feed upon a variety of oceanic and pelagic organisms; our results also show that they exploited novel food resources, such as non-indigenous species. The diversity of prey species was positively correlated with loggerhead body size and volume of stomach contents. Because loggerhead body size was also positively correlated with stomach content volume, we were unable to determine whether increased prey diversity was a result of turtle foraging behavior or simply due to a larger sample volume from larger turtles. Ecological associations among prey species increase the diversity, and possibly the nutritional quality, of prey items, and periodic meteorological events can also increase the diversity of prey items available to loggerhead turtles. Aspects of the life history of some of these prey organ- isms, such as continued egg brooding, increase the nutritional value of prey items consumed by juve- nile turtles.

Despite being an exploited and economically important species, little is known about the reproductive behaviour ofLoligo forbesi. During a captive trial performed in a closed seawater system in the Azores, three spawning events were directly witnessed. An account of their main behavioural aspects is given. A number of behavioural components are described for the first time in this species: ‘pair formation’, ‘mate guarding’, ‘egg holding’, ‘egg touching’, ‘white arms’, ‘red accessory nidamental glands’, ‘accentuated testis’, and ‘jockeying and parrying’. The chromatic, locomotor and postural components were very similar to other coastal loliginids observed on spawning grounds. From egg masses recovered on octopus traps, we show that in the Azores spawning activity occurs at least between 25 and 144 m, but greater depths might be expected. We suggest that this squid preferentially deposits egg masses on hard structures probably hiding them in cracks and crevices of volcanic substrata. The existence of spawning aggregations is supported by several factors: (i) these spawning grounds may coincide with the fishing spots, where the exploitation seasonally takes place, given that most individuals caught by fishermen are usually mature (more than 80%); and (ii) mate guarding and jockeying/parrying by males was observed, which is a common feature of spawning aggregation areas, where sperm competition occurs. Furthermore, our results, combined with available published and non-published data further confirmL. forbesias an intermittent spawner. We estimate that throughout their short life cycle, females ofL. forbesiare able to perform up to six spawning events, each composed of an average of ≈2300 eggs.

The digestive tract contents of 85 Columbus crabs, Planes minutus, are presented. Crabs were collected from oceanic-stage loggerhead turtles, Carettta caretta, and inanimate flotsam near the Azores. The numbers of eggs carried by ovigerous crabs (n = 28) are also presented. Numbers of eggs between turtle crabs and flotsam crabs were similar. Dietary analysis yielded 11 food types from P. minutus. Crabs from turtles contained a higher diversity of food items than crabs from inanimate flotsam. The diet of P. minutus was composed primarily of neustonic invertebrates and algae—similar to prey items found from oceanic-stage loggerhead turtles in past studies. The types of food consumed by P. minutus suggest that crabs may obtain food by consuming other epibionts, by hunting neuston from their substrate, or by capturing food particles expelled by host turtles.

Compensatory growth (CG, accelerated growth that may occur when an organism that has grown at a reduced rate as a result of suboptimal environmental conditions is exposed to better conditions) is considered an adaptation to variable en- vironments. Although documented thoroughly under captive conditions, CG has rarely been studied in wild populations. In their first years of life, oceanic-stage loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) have relatively little control over their geographic position or movements and thus have an extremely stochastic lifestyle with great variation in food availability and temperature. This environmental variation results in variable growth rates. We evaluate somatic growth functions of oceanic-stage loggerheads from the eastern Atlantic based on skeletochronology that allowed us to assign age and cohort to each individual. We demonstrate CG in these turtles based on three different analytical approaches: changes in coefficients of variation in size-at-age, generalized additive model regression analyses of somatic growth, and linear regression of age-specific growth rates. As a result of CG, variation in size-at-age in these juvenile loggerheads is substantially reduced. Thus, size is a better predictor of age than expected based on variation in growth rates. CG decreases with age, apparently as loggerheads gain greater control over their movements. In addition, we have evaluated for the first time in wild sea turtles the time-dependent nature of somatic growth by distinguishing among age, year, and cohort effects using a mixed longitudinal sampling design with assigned-age individuals. Age and year had significant effects on growth rates, but there was no significant cohort effect. Our results address critical gaps in knowledge of the demog- raphy of this endangered species.

During 1997, exploratory cruises were conducted to study deep-water crabs south of Pico and Sao Jorge islands in the Azores archipelago. Baited traps were set at depths of 200-1000 m. The target species were the crabs Chaceon affinis and Cancer bellianus. The latter was the prevalent species shallower than 700 m, a total of 462 (247 males and 215 females) being caught at depths ranging from 200-700 m on rocky substrata. The catch rate of females was higher in shallow water (200-400 m) and that of males higher in deeper water (400-600 m). Sizes ranged from 45-218 mm carapace width (CW). Ovigerous females were not found, and possible reasons for this are advanced. An annual reproductive cycle is outlined. Size at first maturity was not estimated directly, but the observed minimum carapace width of females with spermatophores on their pleopods (132 mm) is suggested as the size of first maturity. Epizoitic barnacles were observed on the exoskeleton of some animals.

During 1997, quarterly exploratory cruises of the R/V “Archipelago” were carried out in order to study the deep water crab Chaceon affinis [Res. Camp. Sci. Monaco Fasc. VII (1894) 1], South of Pico island (Azores) and at the Menez Gwen hydrothermal vent area (SW of the Azores, within the Azorean Economic Exclusive Zone). The crabs were caught with bottom traps according to a specified survey design. Different areas between 300 and 1200 m depth were surveyed. Information from previous collections was also compiled and analysed. A total of 1153 crabs (726 males and 427 females) were caught at depths ranging from 600 to 1100 m on rocky and/or muddy bottoms. Size ranged from 39 to 177 mm carapace length (CL), the males being larger than females. Males were relatively more abundant at depths 800 m. The greatest abundance occurred at depths from 700 to 800 m. Ovigerous females, which were consistently >70 mm CL, were found only from October to March. An annual reproductive cycle is suggested. Size at first maturity for the females, was estimated to be within the size range of 83–97 mm CL. Other ecological and biological information such as distribution, morphometric aspects related to reproduction, occurrence of parasites and epibionts, are discussed, as well as by-catch species.

The pelagic juvenile stage of sea turtles is poorly studied. We present a growth model and estimates for duration of the pelagic juvenile stage for loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in the North Atlantic based on length-frequency analyses and sizes of young-of-the-year stranded in the Azores. The size-specific growth model is a monotonic, nonlinear, declining function. The growth model is consistent with growth rates calculated from recaptures of tagged loggerheads. Logger- heads leave the pelagic habitat and recruit to neritic habitats over a range of sizes from 46 to 64 cm curved carapace length (CCL). From this size range and the growth model, we estimate the duration of the pelagic stage varies from 6.5 to 11.5 yr. Nonparametric smooths of the size frequency distribu- tions of loggerheads in pelagic (n = 1692) and neritic (n = 1803) habitats intersect at 53 cm CCL, which is equivalent to an 8.2 yr duration for the pelagic stage. More growth data from loggerheads

RNA and protein concentrations, and the RNA to protein ratio, were measured in four species of cephalopods, to evaluate sources of variation and the potential for using RNA concentration and the RNA to protein ratio as growth indices. In field samples of Loligo forbesi and Eledone cirrhosa , RNA concentrations and the RNA to protein ratio were higher in immature animals than in mature animals. In Loligo forbesi , values were also higher in males than in females and higher in smaller individuals than in large individuals. Both these trends are consistent with expected differences in growth rate, i.e. RNA is higher in faster growing animals. Mature female Eledone cirrhosa , a species in which the female is larger and presumably grows faster, had higher RNA concentrations than mature males. However, no such difference between the sexes was seen for immature E. cirrhosa or Todarodes sagittatus . Methods for transport and maintenance of Loligo forbesi in captivity in the Azores are described. Many of the captive squid showed poor growth and survival but results from these animals nevertheless confirmed that RNA concentrations were higher in males than in females and higher in animals with smaller gonads than in animals with large gonads. Higher protein concentrations were found in males than in females, and protein concentration was also positively correlated with feeding rate and digestive gland indices. Octopus vulgaris held in captivity grew rapidly and consistently and RNA concentrations were lower in bigger animals than in smaller animals. Neither experiment provided direct support for the hypothesis that RNA concentration or the RNA to protein ratio is directly related to growth rate. Systematic variation in protein concentration, e.g. in relation to recent feeding, leads us to suggest that protein concentration (mg/g fresh body weight) is likely to provide a more reliable index than the RNA to protein ratio.

Squid are the fastest swimming invertebrates, but the metabolic cost of speed, as assessed in swim‐tunnels, is several‐fold higher than in fish, making squid appear uncompetitive. Because oxygen consumption can be correlated with jet pressure, it is possible to monitor pressure and thus estimate performance and energy costs in nature. Tracking in course and depth gave a 3‐D view of squid (Loligo forbesi) activities and costs for nearly three animal‐weeks; five days of this included telemetry of jet pressures. These 2–5 kg loliginids hovered off‐bottom most of the time, perhaps to avoid predation or damage to delicate skins. Hovering consumes about 50 ml O2 kg‐1 h‐1, twice as much as resting on bottom and half of overall average costs. Jet pressures were not well correlated with horizontal movements or tidal cycles, suggesting squid may “soar”; to reduce the cost of remaining in active current areas, acting as sit‐and‐wait predators. Maximal aerobic jetting was rare and usually associated with vertical cli...

In the period from November 1990 to March 1992, 1820 squid of the species Loligo forbesi Steenstrup, 1856, from the Azores fishery, were sampled. Males comprised 58.9%, ranging from 240 to 937 mm in dorsal mantle length ( ML ) (mean 590 mm) and 41.1% were females, ranging from 200 to 462 ML (mean 359 mm). Eighty-one percent of the males were sexually mature (mean ML 620.5 mm) and 87.4% of the females (mean ML 365 mm). Three maturity indices for females and for males were applied. Both sexes showed highest maturity values in winter and spring, lowest in autumn, but mature squid were found in all monthly samples. Recruitment into the fishery was higher during autumn.

Oceanic juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, foraging in Azorean waters, are incidentally caught in drifting longlines that target swordfish, Xiphias gladius, and blue shark, Prionace glauca. Data were recorded during a longline gear modification experiment conducted in 2000. The results show that the captures are not uniformly distributed in relation to fishing effort, with 81% of the loggerheads (N = 232) caught in one-third of the sets (N = 93). The highest turtle catch rates were around the eastern group of islands, an area characterized by the presence of mesoscale eddies induced by bathymetric features. High catch rates coincided with the presence of the thermohaline front, between August and October, and when targeting blue shark. To investigate the causes of these differences we fitted a general linear model to evaluate the influence of mean depth, minimum depth, sea surface temperature (SST), soak area, soak time, moon phase and wind force on turtle and target species catch rates. These results revealed that mean depth and SST were most important for loggerhead catch rates, while minimum depth was the only significant variable for swordfish and mean depth, SST, wind force, moon phase and soak time influenced blue shark catches. The distribution of loggerhead sea turtles can be predicted by monitoring fishing areas in relation to bathymetry and SST. The impact of longline fishing could be greatly and quickly reduced by regulating the blue shark fishery and by increasing fishermen awareness for sea turtle conservation.

The population of Loligo forbesi inhabiting the Azorean Archipelago achieves the largest size ever reported for this species but also for any Loliginidae. Despite their importance as a food source for local communities, very little is known about their biology and ecology. In this paper, we describe our efforts in capturing, transporting, handling, tagging and holding wild adult L. forbesi in the laboratory. Three culture trials were conducted in the Island of Faial, Azores. Over 84 squid were captured by jigging, transported in separate containers and placed in a recirculating seawater system composed of three 3.6 m circular tanks (8000 l capacity each). Drawings and technical details about the system (filtration system, tanks, liners, illumination, flow rates, etc.) as well as water quality parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, iron, pH, salinity and temperature) are presented. By keeping squid in separate bags and providing constant water flow, no mortality occurred during transport from fishing ground to the laboratory. Mean survival time for each trial was 8 days (1503 g mean weight), 17 days (595.1 g mean weight) and 11 days (826.1 g). A small female remained alive for 44 days. In this system, mortality was faster for larger squid. Low survival time could be attributed to bad water quality management, namely high ammonia levels and high temperature variations but also restricted swimming space for larger squid (>1000 g). Pin tags proved to be the most adequate method of distinguishing between individuals. Squid were fed a variety of fish species, either fresh or defrosted. Daily feeding rates varied between 0 and 7.8% body weight (BW day−1). Most squid lost weight or did not grow. However, some individuals showed a positive increase in BW, varying between 0.009 and 1.4% increase in BW day−1. Key factors to take into account for increasing laboratory survival are: (1) catching squid with jigs; (2) prevention of skin damage during transport; (3) maintenance of small individuals; (4) segregating sexes to reduce agonistic interactions; (5) providing good water quality; and (6) abundant food supply.

Thirty-four adult individuals ofLoligo forbesi(males and females with dorsal mantle lengths from 27–77 cm) were observed in captivity in a 3 m diameter closed sea-water system on Faial Island, Azores. Squids were caught by jigging and were fed with horse mackerel (Trachurus picturatus) and chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), either alive or dead. The maximum survival was 73 days. Feeding behaviour was dependent upon both the size of prey and its state of preservation;e.g.the squid would eat the head of small fish (< about 15 cm), reject the head of medium-sized fish (about 15–35 cm) and would eat only the dorsal part of a big fish (> about 35 cm) or a fish poorly preserved.Seventeen chromatic, 9 postural and 6 movement components of body patterns were observed and described. Conspecific interactions considered to be aggression and dominance were observed among males; no such interactions occurred when one male and two females were kept together. Body patterns in relation to relaxation, stress, shock, feeding, locomotion and aggression are also described.

Molecular markers based on mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region sequences were used to test the hypothesis that juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in pelagic habitats of the eastern Atlantic are derived from nesting populations in the western Atlantic. We compared mtDNA haplotypes from 131 pelagic juvenile turtles (79 from the Azores and 52 from Madeira) to mtDNA haplotypes observed in major nesting colonies of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. A subset of 121 pelagic samples (92%) contained haplotypes that match mtDNA sequences observed in nesting colonies. Maximum likelihood analyses (UCON, SHADRACQ) estimate that 100% of these pelagic juveniles are from the nesting populations in the southeastern United States and adjacent Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Estimated contributions from nesting populations in south Florida (0.71, 0.72), northern Florida to North Carolina (0.19, 0.17), and Quintana Roo, Mexico (0.11, 0.10) are consistent with the relative size of these nesting aggregates....

Stomach contents from 17 sperm whales, 15 males and two females, caught during commercial activities in 1981-1984 in the Azores region were identified and measured. A total of 28 738 cephalopods and 16 fish were represented in the collections. In addition, there were tunicates in two whales and m an-m ade products in three whales. None of the stomachs were empty. Flesh was present in 94.1% and indigestible fragments alone, including mandibles (beaks) of cephalopods, were present in 5.9% of the stomachs. Twelve species of cephalopod were represented by flesh and 40 species were represented by lower beaks. The cephalopod families contributing food to the whales in this region are, in order of their contribution by estimated mass, the O ctopoteuthidae (39.8%), the Histioteuthidae (32.7%), the Architeuthidae (12.1%), the Lepidoteuthidae (4.5% ), the Ommastrephidae (3.4% ), the Pholidoteuthidae (2.1% ), the Cycloteuthidae (1.9% ), the Cranchiidae (1.7%) and eight other families each contributing less than 1 % by mass. Presence of Gonatus beaks in the stomachs show which whales have migrated southwards to the Azores just prior to capture and the presence of a large Megalocranchia species possibly shows which whales have m igrated from higher latitudes off Iceland. However, the presence of Teuthowenia maculata shows which whales came north from the West coast of Africa, just prior to capture. The modal mass of cephalopods consumed is 400-450 g which represents 0.00001 of the whales’ body mass. 77.5% of the species eaten have luminous organs and 82% of the species are neutrally buoyant. It seems likely that the sperm whale is obtaining 77% of its food by swimming through luminous shoals of slow-swimming, neutrally bouyant squids and only about 23% by chasing faster swimming, larger cephalopods. Cephalopods not previously recorded from the North Atlantic are Onychoteuthis boreali-japonicus , and Histioteuthis bonnellii corpuscula . Histioteuthis ?miranda may have been collected by the whales much further south than the Azores. Species not recorded previously in the diet of sperm whales in the North Atlantic are Ommastrephes bartrami , Gonatus steenstrupi , Histioteuthis ?miranda , H. bonnellii corpuscula , H. meleagroteuthis , Discoteuthis laciniosa , Mastigoteulhis species, Chiroteulhis species, ?Helicocranchia , Liocranchia reinhardti , and ?Liguriella .

Five hundred and twenty-eight specimens of Loligo forbesi Steenstrup, from landings in Horta, Faial, Azores, during the year 1 March 1980 to 28 February 1981, were tudied; 59·3 % were males, 40·7 % females. Of the males 80·2 % were sexually mature, of the females 91·6 %, both sexes showing the highest degree of maturity in spring and he lowest in autumn. The mean dorsal mantle length of the mature males was 56·5 cm, or females 33·5 cm. A weight-length relationship was calculated. he stomachs of 622 specimens were sampled, of which 306 contained food.The prey omponents were studied qualitatively. The main prey was fish (82·0%), of which 0·5 % were horse mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, this being the most important food rganism. Preliminary results of statolith readings are given.

Of 565 individuals of Scyllarides latus (Latreille, 1803) from landings on Pico Island, Azores, during the summer of 1982, 55% were males, and 45% females, of which 75% were ovigerous. The mean carapace length for males and females was 92.4 mm and 94.8 mm, respectively. The weight/length relationship for males is expressed by W = 0.0020L2.825 and for females W = 0.0065L2.580. The number of eggs per brood varied from 151-356,000. The egg-bearing period lasted for approximately 6-8 weeks, with spawning starting in late June. Eggs hatched into naupliosoma larvae. The naupliosoma stage observed in an aquarium lasted approximately 40–60 min. The larvae swam with the help of their antennae. The main diet of S. latus in summer consists of limpets (Patella spp.). The principal predator of the commercial stock is the dusky grouper (Epinephelus guaza). The lobsters migrate to deeper water at the beginning of October and return to the coast in May. Molting takes place in winter. In aquaria, 7 individuals molted between 28 November and 28 February. After results of this study were known, the Secretariat of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Regional Government of the Azores changed the closed season for catching this species from 1 August-30 April to 1 May-31 August.

The increasing public perception that marine megafauna is under threat is an outstanding incentive to investigate their essential habitats (EMH), their responses to human and climate change pressures, and to better understand their largely unexplained behaviors and physiology. Yet, this poses serious challenges such as the elusiveness and remoteness of marine megafauna, the growing scrutiny and legal impositions on their study, and difficulties in disentangling environmental drivers from human disturbance. We argue that advancing our knowledge and conservation on marine megafauna can and should be capitalized in regions where exceptional access to multiple species (i.e., megafauna ‘hotspots’) combines with the adequate legal framework, sustainable practices, and research capacity. The wider Azores region, hosting EMHs of all key groups of vulnerable or endangered vertebrate marine megafauna, is a singular EMH hotspot on a migratory crossroads, linking eastern and western Atlantic margins and productive boreal waters to tropical seas. It benefits from a sustainable development model based on artisanal fisheries with zero or minor megafauna bycatch, and one of the largest marine protected area networks in the Atlantic covering coastal, oceanic and deepsea habitats. Developing this model can largely ensure the future integrity of this EMH hotspot while fostering cutting-edge science and technological development on megafauna behavior, biologging and increased ocean observation, with potential major impacts on the Blue Growth agenda. An action plan is proposed.