BELIZE CITY, Mon. Feb. 21, 2022– The Ministry of the Blue Economy, in conjunction with the Belize Fisheries Department, has announced that the lobster season will be officially closed on February 28.

In previous years, the season ended on February 15 and re-opened every 14th of June. This year, however, the re-opening of the season has been pushed back to June 30 following consultations between the Fisheries Department and industry stakeholders.

The Blue Economy Ministry has issued a warning to Belizeans that any person who is found in possession of lobster during the closed season, will be prosecuted under the Resources Act, Chapter 210 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020.

The Fisheries Department also reminds fishers that lobster traps should be removed from fishing grounds during the closed season, as the department will be actively enforcing the removal of traps from the waters during this period.

Notably, the closure of the season is in line with the harmonized regional lobster regulations (OSP-02-09) implemented by the Organization for Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (OSPESCA).