AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Culture Food, Drinks & Recipes The lobster season closes on February 28, 2023

The Fisheries Department takes this opportunity to inform fishers and the public that the Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) season will close on February 28, 2023, in accordance with Statutory Instrument No. 128 of 2021. The closed season for the Spiny Lobster fishery is from March 1st to June 30th in any year.

Lobster Season Closes At $30/lb

The lobster season runs annually from first July to the end of February, and today the Fisheries Department issued a reminder that it's closing tomorrow. Fishers got an average price of about 30 dollars per pound this year based on world prices. That's high but not as much as last year - and we are told that is due to slackening demand in the US where consumers have less disposable income for high priced seafood.

Typically over 2 million pounds of lobster is caught in Belizean waters during the 7 month season.

Channel 7

Spiny Lobster season comes to a close; fishermen and restaurateurs declare a good season

The 2022-2023 season of the Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) officially closed on Tuesday, February 28th, through June 30th. The fishermen said the stock was satisfactory throughout the season, providing them with good fishing grounds while leading seafood restaurants added that the supply of the popular crustacean was enough for their operations. The many fishermen in San Pedro Town stated it was a good season despite challenges such as 'pirates' raiding their fishing sites. In some areas, this threat decreased; in others, it required more vigilance from fishermen to protect their traps. For the upcoming season, fisher folks urge authorities like fisheries and the Belize Coast Guard to better patrol the waters.

In speaking to a few restaurants in the downtown area, their management shared that the supply was steady. On many occasions, they acquire large amounts of lobsters. When this stock was low, obtaining more lobster was very accessible. However, other restaurants around town shared that at times it was challenging obtaining lobster. They believe it is because some or most fishermen would sell to those businesses paying higher prices. The price of lobster was one of the main challenges reported by restaurants. According to them, the price per pound fluctuated throughout the season. The handful of restaurants approached said a pound of lobster ranged between $30 to $45. The majority of fishermen stated the change in prices was due to the costs of fuel, the distance travelled to fish lobster, and the scarcity at times when their fishing traps were raided.

Click here to read the rest of the article in the San Pedro Sun