Lobsters of the South Atlantic & Gulf of Mexico
Species > Lobsters
Image Courtesy of Florida Fish & Wildlife
There are many species of lobsters that reside in the tropical and subtropical waters of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Lobsters are fun to catch and equally fun to eat!
In Florida, they are commonly called "Bugs" and when you go lobstering, you are "Bug Hunting".
Regulated Lobsters Species
Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus)
The most abundant is the Caribbean spiny lobster, named this because they lack the front claws of a Maine lobster. The spiny lobster may lack claws for defense but it makes up for it in speed - in a blink of the eye a spiny lobster can travel at great speeds backwards to avoid predators making them difficult to catch once they are in motion. Lobsters walk on their many legs forward and swim backwards using their tail to propel them.
Like most species of lobster, the spiny lobster is nocturnal, hiding under cover during the day and coming out to feed at night on on crabs, shellfish, mussels, worms, sea urchins and sand dollars. As far as taste, many argue the Maine lobster is sweeter but eating a fresh grilled spiny lobster is arguably just as good. Lobsters in the warm southern waters mate from March to July (closed season for harvesting) where they move inshore from deep reefs to mate. The female carries fertilized eggs on their abdomen for 3 weeks until they hatch.
The Caribbean spiny lobster is the most common lobster found in Florida. The legal size with a 3" carapace is about 1 pound or 10" in length. The spiny can can grow as large as 23 inches in length and weigh 12 pounds - bugs this big are usually found from central to north Florida. You can identify a spiny by it's brown & gray striped body with yellow spots on it's tail. In the Keys, lobsters average 1 pound. As you go further north in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, they average 1 1/2 pound and larger. The further north you go, the bigger they get but harder to find.
Females with Eggs
It is Illegal to harvest a female with eggs, all species of Lobsters are included in this regulation. See the red eggs in the above picture, they will be under the tail, held by the female with her tiny fin-like feelers. When you capture a lobster, the first thing you should do is check for eggs! If the lobster has eggs, gently release her so she can make babies and replenish the stock.
WARNING: Never remove the eggs from a female and assume you can keep her if she's legal size. You will never get all the eggs off and officers inspecting your catch always look for egg remnants. Fines are huge - it's just not worth trying to cheat and it's unethical.
Unregulated Lobster Species
The following Lobster species can be found in Florida waters and are unregulated so you can keep what you find any time of the year as long as it is not an egg-bearing female. Gear such as spears, hooks, wire snares, and any device which could puncture, penetrate, or crush the shell of the Lobster is prohibited on any Lobster species. For species that do not have an established bag limit, more than 100 pounds or 2 fish per person per day (which ever is greater), is considered commercial quantities and a SPL license is required.
Did You Know? Deep water lobster's shells have a reddish tint and shallow water a greenish tint.
Saltwater Products License (SPL) Requirements - Required to harvest over the recreational bag limit of species with an established bag limit or more than 100 pounds or 2 fish per person per day (whichever is greater) of a species that does not have an established bag limit, to sell harvested saltwater products, or to use certain gear (ss. 379.361, F.S. & Chapter 68B, F.A.C.).
There are several areas in Florida where Spanish & Slipper Lobster harvesting is Prohibited, see section below.
Spotted Lobster (Panulirus Guttatus)
Locally refered to as the Spanish Lobster, the Spotted Lobster prefers shallow waters in rocky areas. The range of the Spotted Tail Lobster is Southeast Florida all the way through The Keys most believed to have arrived on currents from the Caribbean. These Lobsters are hard to find, a rare and exciting catch if you find them, none have been found in the Gulf of Mexico. This species can also be found hovering on the ceiling's of Lobster holes and under ledges. It has also been harvested off jetties at night, use your flashlight at night to spot them foraging for food around rocks. Tying a fish carcass to a line up current of where you think they are hiding can bring them out to investigate your chum slick.
Smooth Tail Lobster (P. Laevicauda)
The Smooth Tail Lobster is a dark greenish brown color with numerous small roundish spots of light yellow. They can be identified by the many white spots on their solid colored segmented tail. These lobsters rarely grow any larger than the legal size for harvesting. This rare catch has been reported to be found in very deep waters, over 100 feet, off the southeast coast on rocks and natural reefs. The range of the Smooth Tail Lobster is Southeast Florida all the way through The Keys, none have been found in the Gulf of Mexico. Once abundant in Florida there are only a dozen or less reported to be caught each year, surely much more go unreported. Since this species is so rare, please return it to it's home so it can reproduce and maybe make a comeback in Florida waters. Photo Courtesy of diligaf, member of www.spearboard.com
Ridged Slipper Lobster (Scyllarides Nodifer)
Typically found in The Keys and Dry Tortugas, the Ridged Slipper Lobster can be found in sandy areas, especially sand mixed with shells, mud and coral. This species buries itself in the sand during the day and comes out to feed at night. The Ridged Slipper inhabits all regions of Florida.
Photo Courtesy of http://www.gulfcouncil.org J.Hunt 2009
Spanish Slipper Lobster (S. Aequinoctialis)
The Spanish Slipper Lobster can be found in sandy areas with high relief coral structure in crevices, normally burying themselves in the sand. This slow, sluggish, nocturnal species feeds on algae and detritus. This slipper lobster can get very large and tastes excellent. The Spanish Slipper inhabits all regions of Florida.
Photo Courtesy of http://www.gulfcouncil.org J.Hunt 2009
Chace Slipper Lobster (S. Chacei)
This species can be found from North Carolina to Brazil on the Atlantic and in the southwest Gulf of Mexico.
Photo Courtesy of http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine
Sculptured Slipper Lobster (Parribacus Antarcticus)
Found on the Flower Banks in the northern Gulf of Mexico waters, this Lobster has been found in Florida northern Gulf waters.
Photo Courtesy of http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/about/crustaceanlist.html
A Lobster Hunter in West Palm Beach told us the Slipper Lobsters have very hard shells (hard to split with a cleaver), their tails are wider with twice the meat of a Spiny Lobster and they are better tasting than the Spiny Lobster, so don't let their prehistoric look stop you from having a great meal.
Long Armed Spiny Lobster (Justitia Longimana)
The Long Armed Spiny Lobster is also called Long Handed or Red Banded in the Caribbean. This species uniquely has a large claw on one of it's front walking legs, has been found in deep waters and isn't encountered often.
Photo Courtesy of reefguide.org/redbandedlobster.html
Furry Lobster (family Synaxidae)
The Furry Lobster has shorter antennae than the Spiny Lobster and is covered with long hairs hence the name Furry Lobster. This species has been sited on very deep offshore reefs and is rarely encountered.
Are Lobsters Bugs?
So why are lobsters called Bugs? Nobody knows because Lobsters are crustaceans, sometimes called Crawfish, not bugs. One speculation is because they have a brain the size of a pencil tip, similar to a bug. Others think Lobsters are called Bugs because they have antennae and all those legs! And to add to the similarities, lobsters will march from one area to another across the sea floor in a train of hundreds, if not thousands, of members similar to an Ant parade. The Lobster has a nervous system similar to the Grasshopper so maybe that is where it's nickname came from. "Cockroaches of the Sea" is another nickname for the Lobster because they are scavengers that eat off the bottom of the sea.
Lobsters also have a very unique feature - they can rejuvenate lost limbs or their antennae! The Lobster is pre-programmed with a defense mechanism called "reflex amputation" where they can self-amputate a limb grabbed by a predator or caught in an entrapment. The limb or antennae will grow back in no time and does not hurt the Lobster.
7 month old baby spiny lobster - Photo Courtesy of FWC on Flickr
The lobsters antennae's are also a common feature of most insects so maybe this is where the nickname came from. The lobster uses it's long, hairy antennae for smell, they supposedly have the greatest sensitivity for smell in the oceans, more than sharks. They wave their antennae's around, sniffing for food, detecting predators, and looking for good hiding places. They also use the antennae's to feel, similar to cat's whiskers, and use them to sense changes or to measure an opening in a reef to see if they fit. It is common to see a lobster emerge from his hole and challenge you, using it's antennae's as a warning and weapon. The lobster antennae's are very versatile and important for their survival. Or lobsters could just be called "Bugs" because they have big beady black eyes!
Did you know there are three different colors of Spiny Lobster meat - pink, orange, and white?
A Short History of Lobsters as a Delicacy
Prior to the 1900's Lobsters covered the ocean floors in great numbers. Early settlers thought they were ugly, insects, too disgusting to eat. They ground up Lobsters for fertilizer, they cooked them for prisoners and servants. Nobody was interested in this strange looking scavenger.
Rumor has it that John D. Rockefeller was accidently served a bowl of Lobster Stew that was made for his servants. He loved the stew and order it to be a regular menu item in his household. Word spread of this new delicacy and the Lobster industry was born. In the late 1800's the canned Lobster industry was born and canned Lobster was shipped worldwide.
Lobster is rich in protein and during WWII Lobster was consumed in greater numbers as other sources of protein were hard to come by. As the Lobsters popularity grew the abundant supply of Lobsters started to diminish with more and more commercial fisherman getting in on this profitable catch. Today, the Lobster industry is highly regulated with annual quotas established to protect this highly sough after delicacy.
In Florida, the Spiny Lobster was a staple of the Calusa Indians who used spears to catch them. Early settlers ate fish and this tasty Crawfish. When the oversea-highway was being built workers were fed this large Crawfish because they were very abundant back then. Once the Spiny Lobster reached commercial importance, the numbers declined significantly. Rumor has it the ocean floor in the Keys was crawling with so many lobsters you cold walk across the bottom on top of them never touching the sand
Other Lobster Resources
How to Catch Lobsters, Equipment & Regulations
Southern Lobster Recipes for tips on how to clean and cook lobsters.
