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Open season on lobsters

By Scott Keeler, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Aug 07, 2008 02:34 AM

Mark Miklos, 41, of St. Petersburg, shows off part of his catch, Wednesday, of Florida Spiny Lobster in the waters off of Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys.
	[SCOTT KEELER | Times]

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Wednesday was the opening day of the regular/commercial lobster season in Florida waters. The season runs until March 31, 2009.

Divers are allowed six spiny lobsters a day in the Keys, or 24 per boat, whichever is greater.

Each lobster must be measured with a lobster gauge, which measures the animals carapace or upper body.

A two-day sportsman season concluded last week. Mark Miklos caught his legal limit of six Wednesday.

"It's family time for me," said Miklos who brings his family to the Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge each year during the lobster season.

"When your down there in the water, your visiting a different world that has it's own set of rules. This is where the big fish rule," he said.

Florida or Caribbean Spiny Lobster inhabits the subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

They get their name from the forward pointing spines that cover their bodies which help protect them from natural predators.