The Florida Spiny Lobster, also known, as the Caribbean Spiny Lobster is the focal point of the seafood industry in the Florida Keys and produces over three million pounds annually. The Spiny Lobster generates the largest revenue of any seafood product in the state of Florida.
The trapping season in Florida starts in early August and lasts until the end of March. The majority of lobsters are caught with traditional pressure treated wooden traps, also known as pots fastened together with galvanized steel staples. The trap’s location is marked by foam buoys connected to a polypropylene rope to the lobster cage on the ocean floor.
With an average of 2,000 traps, and a three-man crew on a 40’ lobster boat, the fishermen can handle over 400 traps a day.
It takes on average seven years for a lobster to reach the legal catch size of one pound. Our fishermen are committed to sustainably harvesting the spiny lobster by making sure to adhere to the requirements written by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. In addition to the weight requirement, each lobster must have a three-inch distance from its eyes to its carapace or it must be returned to the ocean to grow larger.
The Spiny Lobster is naturally colored ranging in tones of browns, greens, and blues to a dark brown orange. The stereotypical lobster colors of a deep dark to bright red only occur when they are cooked and the natural pigment of the lobster is pulled out of it’s shell by the cooking process. The tail of the spiny lobster is a succulent treat that any lobster connoisseur would enjoy.