Individuals who trade in lobster now able to sell during closed season—Green

They harvest spiny lobster lawfully during the open season, investing their time, their fuel and their labour to bring in a legitimate catch. Yet, the moment the closed season begins, that very product becomes commercially stranded.“Fishers who did everything right found themselves unable to sell, store, process or export what they had lawfully caught. The system did not distinguish between illegal harvesting and legitimate stock that was already in circulation,” said Green.He noted that the result was not conservation; rather it was “waste, economic loss and uncertainty across the value chain. It also created a gap in the market during the closed season, where businesses that depend on lobster had limited lawful avenues through which to access supply”.Green said that gap created pressure within the system and, in some cases, “incentives for the very illegal activity we are working to eliminate”.The fisheries minister said the regulations aim to correct that deficiency in a structured and controlled way.“They establish a clear legal framework that allows lobster which has been lawfully harvested during the open season to be declared, accounted for and then handled within a regulated system during the closed period. That includes storage, processing, sale and export, all under the strict oversight of the National Fisheries Authority,” he explained.Green also had a warning for anyone who may have thoughts of flouting the law.“Let me be absolutely clear. These regulations do not, in any way, relax the prohibition on fishing during the closed season. Fishing for spiny lobster during the closed season remains absolutely prohibited. That position is unchanged. What has changed is that we are now managing the system more intelligently. We are protecting the resource while allowing legitimate economic activity to continue in a way that is transparent, traceable and enforceable. This ensures balance, so that our conservation objectives are met while our fishers, vendors, processors and exporters are not penalised for operating within the law,” he stated.The minister said it was also about bringing greater order to the sector.“With declaration requirements, notification thresholds and strengthened record-keeping, we are now able to track lobster within the system during the closed season in a way that was not previously possible.“This is what modern fisheries management looks like. It is deliberate, it is data-driven and it is designed to protect both the resource and the people who depend on it,” he said.During the closed season the regulations prohibit the capture, possession or sale of undersized lobster or lobster carrying eggs and require that such lobster be returned to the sea immediately.The minister emphasised that this is a way to protect breeding stock and allow juvenile lobster to mature thus ensuring a healthy and sustainable population is maintained.-Lynford Simpson