Diving with Caribbean Spiny Lobsters
The Caribbean Spiny Lobster is a high commercial value species throughout the Caribbean. Over the past few decades the populations have been seriously depleted due to an increase in over fishing. In many countries in the Caribbean there are now open and closed seasons. The closed season is normally when the females are ready to release their eggs into the water column. During the closed season in Belize of February through to June, lobsters are banned from fishing and from restaurant menus.
Together with the Belize Department of Fisheries, ReefCI monitor the population of lobsters in the patch reefs (where the fishermen are most likely to retrieve lobsters by free diving), as well as the deep waters on the continental shelf. The surveys conducted in the shallow patch reefs give an idea of the density of lobsters in the region and the catch per unit effort data. Diving with lobsters enables you to contribute towards the marine conservation of the area, as you will be involved in the surveys. Our other diving conservation projects include diving with whale sharks, turtle conservation and reef checks.Contact us and we will tailor make your eco-tourism diving holiday!
The primary reason for surveying the continental shelf is to gain the male to female ratios. There are a number of specific locations where female lobsters gather in order to release their eggs. These biologically important locations require protection in order to sustain the lobster populations.
What will you be doing for this Marine Conservation Project?
The lobster survey is conducted using the rover diver technique. We go down in groups of about 6 divers with the person at the bottom of the line at about 30m and the person at the top of the line on the top of the wall. 2 people carry slates and a measuring stick (the lobster molester!) We move along the wall at the same pace for about 100 metres. Each lobster has to be coaxed out of its hole using the stick. First we ascertain what sex the lobster is, then we measure the total length and tail length and if the lobster is a female we look to see if it is carrying eggs. We do the same for about another 100m on the top of the wall with the deepest diver moving to the top of the line and the person who was on the top remaining where they were. Upon surfacing we note the gps co-ordinates so that we can ascertain the total area covered.
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