Lobster catches at record low

Lobster catches in Jersey are at a record low, but spider crab catches have more than doubled in a year, a new report has found.

The Marine Resources Annual Report and Fisheries Statistics for 2025 found lobster catches, both sized catch and undersized, were at their lowest since surveys began in 2004. Brown crab catches also declined.

Lobster catches have fallen from 119,362kg (18,796 stone) in 2021 to 46,179kg (7,271 stone) in 2025 - about 61%.

In 2025, the government increased the size a lobster could be caught and sold from 88mm (3.46 inches) to 89mm (3.50 inches) to improve stock levels - increasing further to 90mm this summer.

The increases were implemented with an aim of making sure lobsters could grow larger and reproduce for longer before being caught.

Commercial landings of spider crabs increased from about 1.64 million kg (258,255 stone) in 2024 to about 3.58 million kg (563,753 stone).

The report found the protected zone at Portelet Bay, which prevents fishing in the area, had benefitted lobsters and other species - with legal size lobsters averaging 85.3mm (3.35 inches), compared with 76.9mm (3.02 inches) and 75.6mm (2.97 inches) in neighbouring fished sites.

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