Lobster Season Part One, the Catch                                          by Bill Roe

It’s that time of year again down in Florida. Lobster season, time to root out those yummy crustaceans from their nooks and crannies along the reefs and wrecks offshore.

But along with the joys and excitement of the hunt and capture, there some dangers to be aware of as well as some facts about the proper capture (harvest) of the ‘bugs’.

There are several species of lobster and the one in question and subject to the rules of capture is the Florida Spiny Lobster. Other types such as the shovel nose, peppermint and Spanish are not subject to rules governing harvest.

To be legally harvested, a Florida Spiny Lobster must have a carapace length of at least three inches. The carapace is the bony shell from between the bugs eyes back to its tail. There are gauges commercially available for this and state law requires the lobster must be measured on the bottom at the time of capture.

Egg bearing females are not allowed to be brought up as well. The female will have a large spongy orange sack attached to its belly. Removing the egg sack before bringing the bug up is also a big no-no.

There is a limit of six lobsters per diver per day. The Fish and Wildlife Commission and other law enforcement agencies will sometimes board a private vessel to perform ‘safety checks’ and see how the lobster catch is doing.

Catching the critters is usually done by one of three methods.

* By hand. This is the most difficult and least productive (in this writers opinion), whereby you reach into a hole and wrestle the little guy out. There is a cravat to this as sometimes the holes are shared with other life such as moray eels who take a dim view of a hand invading their sanctum. Somehow the bugs can sense the movement of a hand be it’s warmth of just movement and will shy away, way away.

* By snare (or loop). This involves a loop on a pole much like a dog catcher uses only smaller. To use it, one must somehow run the loop over the head or tail and then tighten the loop and pull the bug out. They can be caught using this manner while in a hole but don’t seem as compliant in the open.

* Net and tickle stick. This is this writer’s preferred style of bug catching as it works both in the open and in holes nicely. The tickle stick is usually a 3/8” diameter aluminum rod, about three feet long, with the bottom inch or so bent at a 45 degree angle. A lanyard at the handle end makes it handy. The net is a short handled bully net with it’s own lanyard.

To use it in a hole, the diver slides the stick over the head of the lobster and twists the bent end so it is behind the tail. A couple of gentle nudges causes the bug to walk out of the hole into the open. It is then possible to nudge the lobster to turn sideways while placing the net behind the critter. A short tap on the snout and the lobster shoots backward into the net and bingo, instant dinner!

Once you have your catch home, prepare them for cooking or freezing by the following steps.

1. Remove the tail; twist the head away from the body and pull.
2. Remove an antenna and break off the feathery tip.
3. Push the antennae into the lobster’s anus as far as it will go and twist. Then pull out the ‘vein’ or its intestines and this will leave the tail meat clean.
4. Remove and save the ‘horns’. This is the bony part right behind the antenna, it contains a lot of meat and if saved in a bag there will be an extra meal to have at the end of the season (if you caught enough this year).

Boil the tails until they are bright red, serve with tons of melted butter and prepare to lose your mind with tasteful delight.

In part two, we will discuss the dangers of this rewarding sport.