Few flavors complete a trip to the Caribbean quite like lobster. Lobster salad. Lobster pasta. Lobster bisque. Lobster rolls. Lobster fritters. Or just plain grilled lobster drizzled with garlic butter. It doesn’t matter how you like your lobster, if you want it in your belly, you’re going to need to know when it’s lobster season in the Caribbean.
Here at Uncommon Caribbean, we’re constantly island hopping for any number of reasons — though they usually aren’t lobster related. But for some reason, this morning while going through the calendar of upcoming destinations, my mind started drifting toward grilling up my own Caribbean lobsters.
Mmmmm… Lobster…
A couple of quick Google searches later and I realized that a lot of the information outlining when it is or isn’t lobster season can be a little tricky to find. And what can be found (often in forums) is confused with North American lobster season. (Check the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for that info!) And don’t get me started on the months with “R” rule!
So, I dug deeper… And a little deeper… And in the end, put together my own calendar that I’m happy to share with you!
But before we get into the dates, a few caveats.
First, as you may notice, it’s not a completely exhaustive list and I’m uncertain of a few dates at this time, but I promise to return here from time to time to add updates as I find out more information.
Also, note that the dates are subject to change year to year. So, what may be right as of me writing this, could become wrong with a policy change here or there.
And perhaps the most important thing to consider is that while some destinations may have lobster on offer in their restaurants year-round, if you’re planning on searching coral reefs and catching some Caribbean spiny lobster yourself, pretty much all destinations have restrictions of some kind (gear used to catch the lobster, minimum size limits, daily bag limits, possession limits, restricted areas, landing “berried” aka fertilized egg-carrying females, quotas, etc.) governing their capture.
So, just because I note that it may be lobster season wherever you are, you still should get the details of and respect the regulations of the sport season in any particular destination.
Ok, now on to the calendar!!
Lobster Season in the Caribbean
| Destination | Open | Closed |
| Anguilla | All year | |
| Antigua | July 1 – April 30 | May 1 – June 30 |
| Aruba | July 1 – March 31 | April 1 – June 30* |
| Bahamas | August 1 – March 31 | April 1 – July 31 |
| Barbados | September 1 – April 30 | May 1 – August 31 |
| Barbuda | July 1 – April 30 | May 1 – June 30 |
| Belize | June 15 – February 14 | February 15 – June 14 |
| British Virgin Islands | November 1 – June 30 | July 1 – October 31 |
| Cayman Islands | December 1 – February 29 | March 1 – November 31 |
| Cuba | June 15 – February 14 | February 15 – June 14* |
| Dominica | All year | |
| Dominican Republic | August 1 – March 31 | April 1 – July 31 |
| Grenada | September 1 – April 30 | May 1 – August 31 |
| Jamaica | July 1 – March 31 | April 1 – June 30 |
| St. Kitts & Nevis | All year | |
| Roatan | July 1 – February 28 (29) | March 1 – June 30 |
| St. Lucia | August 2 – February 28 | March 1 – August 1 |
| St. Martin/St. Maarten | All year | |
| St. Vincent & The Grenadines | September 1 – April 30 | May 1 – August 31 |
| Trinidad | All year | |
| Turks and Caicos | August 2 – March 31 | April 1 – August 1 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | All year | |
*I’m a little uncertain of these dates
Oh man, I can almost taste the lobsters now! Lobster season in the Caribbean is one of the best times to find yourself in the West Indies.
So, where are your favorite places to get your lobster fix? And what are your favorite lobster dishes? Let us know in the comments below!
Enjoy!
