FEATURED CATCH OF THE MONTH

California Spiny Lobster

The California Spiny Lobster ( scientific name: Panulirus interrupts ) is one of about 60 species of spiny or rock lobsters found around the world. Unlike the Main lobster, the California spiny lobster has no pincer claws.

Season: October through March

Taste : The succulent flesh of California spiny lobsters in their large tails combines elements of both sweetness and saltiness. It is considered a superb culinary delicacy.

How to Cook: Spiny lobsters can be grilled (basted with butter),steamed, or roasted. They are great for lobster Thermionic, lobster salad, or in a sauce for pasta. They are also great in lobster bisque (or chowder), in paella, and various seafood stews.

Lobster Facts

Spiny lobsters are nocturnal, hiding under rocks and in crevices during the day, coming out at night to hunt (sea urchins, clams, mussels, worms).

Predators of spiny lobsters include some fish (California sheep head, giant sea bass), some sharks, octopuses, and sea others.

Where to Get Spiny Lobster

Great places to get spiny lobsters include:

Saturday Fisherman’s Market
Seafood fresh of the boat; open every Saturday, dawn to noon, at the Santa Barbara Harbor

Santa Barbara Fish Market:
117 Harbor Way, #A, open Sun-Fri; 9:00-6:30, Sat 7:30-7:00

Get Hooked Seafood:
Fresh local seafood delivered to your home: Get Hooked Seafood.
Email: info@gethookedseafood.com
Phone: (805) 209 - 2019

More Fun Facts About Spiny Lobsters:

Range: The California Spiny Lobster (Panulirus interruptus)is found from Monterey Bay, California to Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. It is closely related to the Caribbean Spiny Lobster(Panulirus argus) which also has not pincer claws. The Caribbean variety is distributed along the continental shelf of the southeastern United States from North Carolina to Texas, in Bermuda, throughout the Caribbean Sea, and south of Brazil.


Reproduction and Behavior: Lobsters reproduce during the summer months. After mating, female lobsters can carry up to 680.000 fertilized eggs on the underside of their body. After hatching, the larvae are released into the ocean currents where they drift for 9 months before finding a home in rocky habitat.

Spiny lobsters are omnivorous and eat plankton, marine snails, crabs, clams, shrimp, worms, algae and small fish. When threatened, lobsters emit a loud screeching noise produced by rubbing their antennae.

Conservation Status: Spiny lobsters are overfished in some parts of the globe. They thrive in the Santa Barbara Channel, with record sizes thanks to our healthy ecosystem and warmer waters. Santa Barbara is the 'capital' of California's lobster fishery. California lobster is managed sustainably using a minimum body size limit and a limit on the number of traps per boat. Conservation areas called marine protected areas make many areas off limits to fishing which also ensures against over fishing. The season is open October to March. Lobster is the most lucrative fishery in our port. About 95% of our lobster catch is sent to China where it is a sought after delicacy.

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