TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Lobster Capital of the Carribean?

What's up with this?

Carribean Journal Lobster

Anegada has a reputation for Lobster dinners.
The Caribbean is loaded with lobsters and their easily caught by snorkeling the reefs with a snare,large hook on a small pole or a speargun where allowed.

[color:"blue"][/color]According to the scientist's data the BVI harvests +/- 40 metric tons of Spiny Lobster a year. The Bahamas, Florida, Cuba, Nicaragua are closer to 5,000 metric tons each year with great years in the 10,000 ton range. The USVI is usually twice the BVI harvest ranging from 70 tons to 150 tons on the best years. If the scientists are correct many areas are harming the Caribbean Spiny lobster industry with the harvest in and/or destruction of juveniles. Lobsters in Maine alone add up to 125,000 tons each year.

The story is really a promotional piece for.....[color:"blue"][/color]

I suspect the BVI harvest is a bit under reported since a large number are sold to local eating places not exported. I always seem to find more lobsters in the USVI then the BVI.

If you could count poaching the numbers could be much larger. In areas with very large flats like the Bahamas many believe the illegal fishing to be very large and unreported or unmeasured. The scientist's claim they are tracking the restaurant trade even when the trade is illegal.

Poaching

The vastness of The Bahamas makes it difficult to effectively monitor our waters to prevent
illegal and unregulated fishing activity.

The harm done by some of the large organized poachers can be very real. ...10,000 pounds Lobster per trip or
24,038 lobsters taken per trip. In many cases they have numerous divers overboard connected to the ship with air hoses scouring the bottom and reef.

legal in USVI with certain size and other restrictions