The Florida lobster season started in early August after a two-day ‘appetizer.’
By midnight July 28, snorkelers, professional divers and sport fishing lovers were already turning their crawfish catches over fire grates. This was in the aftermath of the then just-concluded Florida lobster mini-season of July 26-28 each year. Florida Keys alone attracts around 40,000 folks in the two-day period fishing opening.
This means that three months after the start of the larger North American lobster season, the southern United States lobster season is back in the picture. Key West and South Florida coral reefs began their celebrated shellfish mini-season at midnight July 26, and closed at midnight July 28.
The limited period targets coral reef-inhabiting spiny lobsters whose sweet taste and lack of claws attracts hordes of sports divers. Despite the brevity of the fishing period, the State institutes sport fishing regulations that limit 12 lobsters per fishermen each day. Biscayne National Park and Monroe County allow just six lobsters per individual during this two-day event.
This quantity limitation is higher than that of 12 crawfish a day during the main season. The quantity moratorium seeks to insure season-long steady supplies.
This mini-season basically acts as an appetizer for the lengthy main lobster season in the Sunshine State. The peak season lasts from early August to end March the following year. During the main lobster season, commercial fishing and sport fishing go hand-in-hand in statewide waters.
Facts to know:
- The mini-season occurs in the last days of July and lasts for 48 hours.
- The commercial lobster fishing main season in Florida starts August 6 and ends March 31.
- Fishing for other shellfish such as snook and hogfish begins September 1 and ends November 1, for the latter fish.
Will the start of the Florida lobster season bring the prices even more down to continue a price drop trend that began in 2022?
Yes, prices of lobsters in Florida and the rest of the US continue to drop by 50%. They sell at wholesale prices of $4 a pound or half those of the 2020-21 season.
Prices are heading towards $8 to $9 a pound at the retail level. This translates to a price range of $16 to $18 a kilo. This favorably compares to the equally unimpressive sales of 2022 when these same crustaceans fetched between $10 and $12 a pound.
Fishermen are decrying this price plummet as unfavourable to them amid high fuel prices. The cost of diesel for their fishing boats continues to rise amid inflation, at $6 a gallon.
All in all, it is a boon for all lobster gourmets who can partake their favorite seafood at a slice of its cost of two years ago.