The Caribbean Spiny Lobster

Caribbean Spiny Lobster: Panulirus argus

Range: Northern Brazil to southern Florida, including the whole Caribbean Sea and Antilles as far North as Bermuda (although the Bermuda population is considered to be a meta population outside the natural range).

Harvest: The current harvest of Caribbean Spiny Lobsters throughout its range is largely by small scale fishing operators using pots. There are many different nations with jurisdiction over the Caribbean Spiny Lobster populations, and most are grappling with rapid population reductions. Much of this population reduction has been caused by over fishing, although ongoing environmental degradation cannot be unrated as a cause of falling populations.



Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries Harvest: The basic biological strategy adopted by Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries centers around the fact that more than 90-95% of the post larvae stage of most coral reef fish species will die during the transition from planktonic life to benthic (bottom dwelling) life. Mortality is also very high during their early juvenile life, so that very few actually make it to the adult population. Traditional fisheries target these few survivors as their resource.

Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries will target the settlement stage post larvae that would normally die in huge numbers. Various measures will be taken to ensure that natural population replenishment processes remain undisturbed such that Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries can guarantee that their harvest system is Biologically Neutral. This strategy allows harvest of two orders of magnitude more individuals while ensuring next to zero impact on the wild population. The post larvae can then be grown out to ideal market size in controlled conditions.

Taste: Taste tests both in the Caribbean and Australia indicate there is no discernable difference between cultured lobsters and wild caught. Many lobster connoisseurs will tell you that they prefer the meat of smaller lobsters because it is sweeter and more tender. The chefs from BVI five star restaurants, when given a choice, will only buy the small plate sized lobster. Although lobster was never a traditional food for most of the Caribbean peoples, their natural flare for good cooking and the tourists taste for lobster have combined to generate some mouth watering local dishes. The only thing that can ruin a good British Virgin Islands lobster meal is a mushy lobster.

Most lobsters are caught in pots and sometimes the fisherman cannot get to his pots for many days. A caged lobster will quickly go hungry and then go into starvation mode. The first thing that happens in starvation mode is that muscle tissue is metabolized to provide energy to keep the vital functions going - the lobster begins to eat itself from the inside. When a starving lobster is cooked up, the muscular tail flesh will have a mushy texture because it has begun to be metabolized for energy. Many local restaurateurs say that this is their biggest problem with serving lobster, counting for substantial loss in profits.

Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries culture and harvest systems will be able to ensure guaranteed quality, taste and size of lobsters, and without having them go into starvation mode.