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Ten Years of Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) Closed Season: Evidence From Antigua and Barbuda’s Small-Scale Fishery
Ian Horsford* and Hilroy Simon
Fisheries Division, Point Wharf Fisheries Complex, St. John’s, Antigua, West Indies
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ABSTRACT
Catch and effort and biological data were collected from commercial fishing trips, research trips, at-sea stop and search, and from inspections of processing plants, retailers, and restaurants in Antigua and Barbuda. The objectives were to: 1) appraise the impact of the annual two-month closed season enacted in 2013; and 2) determine trends (catch per unit effort, carapace length, etc.) and status of the fishery. Significant temporal differences existed amongst the mean catch per unit effort (p < 0.001) with the catch rates for traps (fish pots) increasing by at least three-fold after the implementation of the closed season. The odds of catching a spiny lobster via traps was also statistically greater (1.7 times more likely) after the implementation of the closed season (OR = 1.7, 95% CI [1.3, 2.1]); note the mean number of traps hauled per trip per vessel size class were not significantly different between the two periods (p > 0.05). Mean sizes of lobsters were significantly larger (p < 0.05) than the estimate of the size at 50% maturity for females (95.7 mm) and comparable to those over the past two decades. The overall enhancement of the fishery was attributed to the general compliance with the closed season coupled with a catch certification programme that requires exporters to comply with the various management measures (minimum size, closed season, prohibition on moulting and egg-bearing lobsters) as well as provide proof of purchase from authorised sources (i.e., fishers or traders possessing a valid fisher licence and from duly licensed vessels possessing a valid lobster permit). As of 2023, a catch certificate is required for export of any fish (including lobster) or fishery product from Antigua and Barbuda regardless of the destination. The next step in “closing the net” on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the lobster fishery is adapting the catch certification programme for the other major consumer group – local hotels and restaurants.
HOW TO CITE: Horsford, I. and H. Simon, 2026.Ten Years of Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) Closed Season: Evidence From Antigua and Barbuda’s Small-Scale Fishery. Contribution 6.8, p455-466 IN CRFM, 2026. Volume I: Technical Papers. Presented at the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference, 28-31 August 2023. CRFM Special Publication No. 37, CRFM Secretariat https://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=938
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