Lobster season closes today
Today marks the closure of the lobster season here in the Turks and Caicos Islands and although the total landings are not official as yet, current
stats reveal that this year’s season looks better than last year’s.
Kathy Lockhart, Scientific Officer at the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) spoke with PTV about these numbers, and while she
was not in a position to put a dollar value on international export at the moment, she noted that some one million, four hundred thousand dollars
worth of lobster landed during this lobster season.
During the closed season, persons are prohibited from being in possession of lobster under the fisheries protection ordinance and persons found in
contravention of that order, could be liable to as mush as $50,000 in fines.
A collaborative effort between the DECR and the Marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is in effect to ensure the laws as
they regard poaching in Turks and Caicos waters, are adhered to.
It is understood that measures have been implemented to ensure a healthy and adequate lobster stock, which is evident in the August 2010/January
2011 lobster season, which reportedly netted 423 thousand pounds of lobster that was brought in, compared to 318 pounds of lobster that landed
in 2009/2010.
The lobster season reopens on 1st August, 2011.
