MIAMI (CBSMiami) — If you missed Florida’s lobster mini season, you don’t need to worry. The 2021 recreational and commercial spiny lobster season starts Aug. 6 and runs through March 31, 2022.
The daily bag limit bag limit per person this season is 6 spiny lobster per person in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park and 12 per person in the rest of Florida.
Florida lobster (Courtesy: Florida Keys News Bureau)
The lobster’s carapace must be longer than 3″ when measured in the water. Anyone participating in harvesting spiny lobster must have a measuring device at all times.
The spiny lobster, often called ‘bugs’, inhabit tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
Normally, the best time to catch a Florida spiny lobster is at night since lobsters stay in their dens during daylight hours to avoid predators and only come out after dark to look for food.
Florida lobster (Courtesy: Florida Keys News Bureau)
It’s also important to keep your eyes open for diver’s flags and use care around coral and other marine life. Click here to join the FL Coral Crew and learn more about coral-safe diving practices and how you can help.
Click here to learn more about bag limits, size limits, where you can harvest, and other regulations.
Click here to get your recreational license and spiny lobster permit.
If you are bully netting this season, keep lights directed toward the water and avoid shining them at houses or people along the shoreline. Please also be considerate of others by keeping sound levels low when near shoreline residences.
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