Regular lobster season begins August 6th at 12:01 a.m. and ends March 31 at midnight. The two-day Sport Lobster Season is always the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, beginning at 12:01 A.M. on Wednesday and ending at 12:00 midnight on Thursday. The bag limit is 6 per person per day.

Anyone planning to hunt lobster in Florida territorial waters must have a valid recreational saltwater fishing license as well as a crawfish permit ($2.00) to catch lobster. One-year fishing licensees for residents are $13.50, while non-residents can purchase 3-day ($6.50), 7-day ($16.50), or 1-year licenses ($31.50.) Active military personnel stationed in Florida are considered to be residents. Licenses are available through local tax collectors, many tackle shops, and marine supply stores.

Bag limits are only for properly licensed individuals and those people exempt from license requirements who are actively harvesting, and those people harvesting may not exceed their individual bag limit and take someone else’s bag limit. That is, people (including children) who are not actively harvesting or are not properly licensed (if a license is required) may NOT be counted for purposes of bag limits.

Lobstering is always prohibited in Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, Looe Key Sanctuary, and some areas of Pennekamp State Park. Contact Pennekamp State Park at 305.451.1202 for more details.

No gear that could puncture the shell of lobster is allowed in your possession, including (but not limited to) spears, hooks, or wire snares.

You must have a measuring gauge on you at all times when you are hunting for lobster. The carapace (the main body) must be at least 3 inches in length to stay within legal size limits. Lobsters with a carapace under 3 inches must be freed unharmed.

Lobster must be of legal size before they are in possession. Remember: any lobsters in your catch bag in the water are considered in possession. For this reason, measure them before you place them in your bag.

You can be prosecuted for injuring any lobster while you are underwater- don’t be one of those morons who try pulling them out of their holes by the antennae. Also, be extra careful not to bang into any coral or sponge while hunting lobster.

Egg-bearing lobster must be released unharmed. You can recognize the eggs by an orange, yellow, brown, or red mass found covering the bottom of the lobster’s tail.

If you see any commercial lobster traps, give them wide berth: it is a felony to take lobster from commercial traps and these commercial fishermen are quite agressive when it comes to protecting there livelyhood.