[dropcap]S[/dropcap]tart melting the butter but know the regulations before you go out catching those sweet, tasty crustaceans.
• Visitors: No more than 10 tails per vessel may be taken at any given time. If you would like to use spears (or any gear other than fishing line or rod and reel) you must specify that on your fishing permit application form. Air compressors/hookahs or SCUBA are not allowed to be used by visitors.
• Minimum size limits are 3-3/8-inches measured at the head or carapace, or 5-1/2-inch tail length.
• Egg-bearing female crawfish (lobster) is prohibited as is the stripping or removing the eggs from the berried (egg-bearing) female.
• It is illegal to fish or collect any marine resource while using SCUBA.
Bahamians may use air compressors while catching crawfish (but no other fishery resource) between 30 and 60 foot depths only. SCUBA is not allowed.
• Spearfishing within 200 yards of any shoreline in the Family islands is illegal.
• For visitors to the Bahamas, cruising and fishing permits are required for any harvest.
Bahamian regulations may be found online at www.bahamas.gov.bs.
For U.S. visitors to the Bahamas, it’s equally important to know the regulations for bringing lobsters home. While you are allowed to possess whole or tailed lobster while in Bahamian waters, when returning to the U.S., they must be whole (head and tail intact) and you may only bring them back during the open season in Florida (August 6 to March 31). To check the U.S. regulations, visit MyFWC.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/Bahamas.
Visit www.friendsoftheenvironment.org for more information.