Caribbean

When is Lobster Season in the Caribbean?

Patrick Patrick

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!

Last updated by Patrick Bennett on .