Florida Lobster Law Question

[lhpdiver]

I know you are supposed to gauge a lobster while in the water, and I know there is a bag limit, but is there anything in the law (human not nature) about keeping a lobster with eggs ? how about one with tar spots and no eggs ?

 

[archman]

Egg-carrying lobster I believe are off limits.

 

[100days-a-year]

All species of lobster are off-limits with egg mass.Spiny,smooth,slipper...all.Fed and state waters.Tar spots aren't egg mass, they are the other ingredient.

 

[Johnoly]

I know you are supposed to gauge a lobster while in the water, and I know there is a bag limit, but is there anything in the law (human not nature) about keeping a lobster with eggs ? how about one with tar spots and no eggs ?

Bugs having tar spots can be harvested. Bugs having eggs can not be harvested.

Here is a summary page of regs and you can dig deeper from there.
http://myfwc.com/marine/lobster.htm

 

[lhpdiver]

Bugs having tar spots can be harvested. Bugs having eggs can not be harvested.

Here is a summary page of regs and you can dig deeper from there.
http://myfwc.com/marine/lobster.htm

I had noticed that page earlier today. There is no mention of the word egg on there. Just out of curiousity (sp ?) I called the number on the back of my license today but only got someone's voice mail. A lot of the links (to .pdf files and such) on the state websites seem to be broken.

 

[dubbwool]

I had noticed that page earlier today. There is no mention of the word egg on there. Just out of curiousity (sp ?) I called the number on the back of my license today but only got someone's voice mail. A lot of the links (to .pdf files and such) on the state websites seem to be broken.

Lobsters with eggs can not be taken. What you are calling a tar patch is a sperm patch this is on the lower part of the body just before the tail. This is found on a female that has not laid her eggs, her body cavity will have roe in it . It is legal to take them, however when you do you will be preventing the laying of thousands of eggs the future generation. It should be protected also. l have not allowed them on board my boat ever since I disicovered that they were full of roe 15 years ago. Last summer because of the lack of lobster my crew wanted to munity when I threw them back but they knew they wouldn,t dive off of my boat again if they tried to keep them. If you are on the outside reef in july and aug 90% of all females will be carring eggs.

 

[ONESPEED]

Not only is it illegal why would you want to take one lobster that could insure many, many future lobster?

 

[Packhorse]

Has anyone got any pics of these "tar/sperm spots"
It is something I have never heard of before or noticed. It maybe that the 2 New Zealand species (Red/spiny rock lobster or Jasus Edwardsii and the Packhorse or Sagmariasus verreauxi ) don't have this.

 

[Wayward Son]

I know what eggs look like, but if I've seen the tar spot I didn't know what I was looking at. We commonly find shovels, and if that's an indicator that they're loaded with eggs I'd rather put them back. Pictures would be great, if anyone has some.

 

[WVDiver]

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/FishingRockLobsters/FishingforRockLobstersPage07.php?0100

Good explanation here.