Lobster: Caribbean spiny

Spiny lobster, Rock lobster, Warmwater lobster, Florida spiny lobster, Caribbean spiny lobster, Crawfish

Spiny lobsters are typically found on the seafloor in tropical, semitropical and temperate waters hiding among rocks, kelp and coral. Most commonly sold just for their tails, the majority of Spiny (or Rock) lobsters in the US market are sourced from the Caribbean, Brazil and Florida. Vast differences exist amongst these fisheries. While the Florida fishery is characterized by strict guidelines, attentive management and extensive scientific assessment, spiny lobster fisheries in the Bahamas and Brazil are plagued with the opposite. Lobster in these regions are overfished, captured before they reach reproductive maturity or caught illegally. Data documenting population dynamics are limited, restricting the ability to devise appropriate management practises.

Caribbean spiny lobster is a quickly maturing inherently “resilient” species.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) considers U.S. Caribbean spiny lobster stocks to be “not overfished”. This includes both the Florida stocks covered under the Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic Spiny Lobster Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) and the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands stocks covered under the Caribbean fisheries management plan. NMFS rates Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic spiny lobster stocks “not overfished” with “no overfishing occurring” and is therefore a “low” conservation concern.

Bycatch is generally low in this trap fishery, and does not include species of special concern. Most “bycatch” in this trap fishery is undersized spiny lobsters. Many of these “shorts” are traditionally retained for use as live bait in the fishery. Bycatch from the Florida Caribbean spiny lobster fishery is considered a “low” conservation concern.

Traps are usually considered a sustainable fishing method, although NMFS authorities caution that traps can damage seafloor habitat, especially live coral and manatee grass beds. In Florida, the Caribbean spiny lobster trap fishery is considered to have “benign” habitat and ecosystem effects.

Though the Florida spiny lobster population hovers near its overfishing threshold, it has been hovering at that same population threshold for 30 years. Likewise, although the fishery depends on new recruits, it has been so structured since the early 1970s. Management has kept the fishery productive and taken steps to ensure long-term sustainability, including introduction of minimum size limits; rules to protect reproductive females; introduction of escape vents to minimize bycatch of undersized lobsters; limits on the number of juveniles that can be taken as live bait; handling rules to maximize survival of juveniles that are used for live bait; and, most recently, trap reduction programs. The lobster management program in the U.S. is considered “effective”.

Where is this Caribbean spiny lobster caught?

Caribbean spiny lobster caught in Florida is the “best choice” and those caught in Brazil should be avoided.

Contaminant levels do not warrant a consumption advisory.

No.