Spiny Lobster

So these guys are also known as rock lobster. They are plentiful in Hawaii are are seasonal. The last time I checked you were only allowed to catch the males. If you are caught taking home female lobsters then there is a heavy fine.

There are 2 methods used to catch Spiny Lobster in Hawaii. 1, the use of a long net, and 2, you actually dive down and catch them by hand or spear.

Two ways to eat them while camping, raw or you can boil them. If you are planning to take them home, these guys can last out of salt water for days.

 

I can see why they would forbid female harvesting, but are there at least size limits on the male harvesting? And if there are has there been any signs of overall shrinkage in the lobster population? Because something tells me people are going for the biggest they can find, and that has led to a shifting toward shrinking in the overall population as an adaptive feature.

 

Females are known to lay hundreds if not thousands of eggs. The logic behind the male only rule is that the females will be left behind to lay their eggs. That is why whne you do catch lobsters you have to check what sex they are. There are distinct features, like the shape of their tales. Getting caught with female lobster is no joke. You will get fined heavily.

 

Well actually there are a lot of studies coming out now about how arbitrary fishing restrictions have led to populations shifting to the smaller side as a result. It's also why rattlesnakes in Texas have started to shift toward not rattling - the selective process of killing any rattle snake that rattles means that the only ones to survive and breed or those who don't give a warning. That said the most interesting example is about the face crabs. These crabs have a shell that kind of resembles a human face - so people put back the ones that have the creepiest shells. This has resulted in crabs with shells that have an unnerving resemblance to human faces. So yeah. That said you have to remember that generally speaking the reproductive legacy of a generation comes not from the one spawn, but by multiple spawns - so if the biggest fish only gets one spawn while the smaller ones get many... then well that one spawn means less than nothing overall.

Oh I get the logic, but it doesn't matter if the females lay lots of eggs if the breeding pool of males is compromised. It just ends up meaning that the females will lay lots of eggs fertilized with inferior paternal genes. In that way it is better to hunt some females then to place all the stress of human poaching on the males. Honestly this method makes more sense when dealing with mammals than with fish or other spawning things.

 

I see your logic in it. But I'm just stating what was told to me by gaming authorities.