Lobsters facts and fishing regulations

​Lobster habitat

Lobsters live on the sea bed and inhabit the coastal area from the intertidal zone down to depths of approximately 120 metres. Lobsters are a solitary animal, except during mating time, spending most of their time within the protection of some kind of sh​elter.

Lobster diet

The lobster is a nocturnal animal and emerges from the shelter at dusk to feed.

It eats:

• crabs
• mussels
• clams
• sea urchins
• starfish
• marine worms

The lobster will also feed as a scavenger.

Fishing for lobster

If you're interested in fishing for lobster, you should contact the Fisheries and Marine Resources Department. You will also need to adhere to the following guidelines:

• if you wish to catch and sell lobsters, you must possess a commercial fishing licence which are limited in number
• there is a limit on the number of pots commercia​l fisherman can work and all pots must be tagged
• all parlour pots must be fitted with an escape gap allowing undersize lobsters to exit the pot. This stops them from being damaged by larger lobsters or by rough handling from the fisherman
• parlour pots are banned from the offshore reef ‘Les Minquiers’. This is an important location for the recruitment of juvenile lobsters
• the minimum size allowed for a caught lobster is 87mm

Biology and Regulations in Jersey- European Lobster