Cruisers Harvest Cheat Sheet: How to Safely & Legally Provision From Mother Ocean

LOBZILLA: A FEAST FOR FOUR... Notice NO SPEAR MARKS ON ANY LOBSTERS YOU SEE US HARVEST!

I am not much of hunter, though Rob certainly likes to hunt very mean deer and elk, etc. I do, however, have a reputation as the "Lobster Lady", "Crustacean Queen", or (excuse the slang) "Bug Bitch", due to the uncanny way I have of coaxing these spiny buggers into my gloved hands, no spear and no snare. I do not feel attached to underwater vertebrate fish, like I do mammals and other animals that I envision with their young... harvesting fish, lobsters, stone crabs, and conchs, (and the occasional alligator), doesn't bother my spiritual attachment to the environment near as much, and they are delicious! I used to hunt octopus as well, but not after watching the movie "My octopus teacher" (a must see).

Since we are in the Bahamas now, in Exumas Land and Sea Park which is a no take zone, we have been eating more venison burger and steaks (from Rob) and gator chili (from me!). We know that as we move further down the Caribbean and into the Pacific it is important to follow the local regulations on bag and size limits and seasons. Thus, I constructed this as a simple guide to quickly refer to in order to stay legal.

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🌴 CARIBBEAN CRUISER HARVEST GUIDE

(Personal use only — always verify locally)

🇧🇸 Bahamas

Allowed – Vertebrates

• Pelagic fish (hook & line): tuna, mahi-mahi, wahoo, kingfish

• Reef fish (outside marine parks): snapper, grouper, hogfish

• Nassau Grouper closed December 1 - Feb 28; minimum 3 pounds (1.36 kg), approx16-18 inches and max size is 30 inches They are not sexually mature until about 5#.

Allowed – Invertebrates

• Spiny lobster (seasonal): open August 1st - March 31st; max 10 tails /boat regardless of # of people on boat: size minimum 3 3/8 inch carapace or 6 inch tail

• Queen conch (legal size & limits): must have well-flared lip, limit 6/boat

• Stone crab (claws only): open October 16-May 31st: claw length at least 4 inches, no "berried females " (females with eggs); suggested bag limits: 1gallon claws /person or 2 gallons/vessel

Prohibited / Avoid

• Octopus

• Sea cucumbers

• Chitons

• Sea urchins

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, rays, turtles, marine mammals

Notes

• Pole spear or Hawaiian sling only ( I suggest avoidance of spearing lobsters to avoid accidentally taking "berried" females (with eggs), and to give the poor lobsters a chance!

• No scuba spearfishing

• No take in marine parks

🇹🇨 Turks & Caicos

Allowed – Vertebrates

• Pelagic fish (hook & line)

• Limited reef fish (verify locally)

Allowed – Invertebrates

• Spiny lobster (strict season): August 1 - March 31st, size 3 1/4 inch carapace, 5 oz tail; limit not published

• Queen conch (often locals-only): no published limits or regulations

• Stone Crab (locals only unless authorized by gov't)

Prohibited / Avoid

• Octopus

• Sea cucumbers

• Chitons

• Sea urchins

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, turtles

Notes

• Extremely restrictive

• Assume no-take unless clearly permitted

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

Allowed – Vertebrates

• Pelagic fish

• Reef fish (snapper, grouper — outside protected areas)

Allowed – Invertebrates

• Lobster (seasonal): closed March 1-June 30th, no widely published size or bag limits

• Queen Conch : closed July 1- October 31st; no clear limit on size or bag limits ( assume needs to have well-developed lip "flare"

• Octopus (some regions only) closed Jan 1st -June 30th; no published size or bag limits

Prohibited / Avoid

• Sea cucumbers

• Chitons

• Sea urchins

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, turtles

Notes

• Rules vary by region and marine park

🇵🇦 Panama (Caribbean side)

Allowed – Vertebrates

• Pelagic fish

• Reef fish (outside MPAs)

Allowed – Invertebrates: Very limited — verify locally

• Spiny Lobsters: Open July2 - Feb 29th; no widely published bag or size limits

• Queen Conch: protected/no take

• Stone and other crabs : not regulated

• Octopus: no widely published regulations or limits

Prohibited / Avoid

• Sea cucumbers

• Chitons

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, turtles

Notes

• Caribbean coast more restrictive than Pacific

This is a nice permit, about the size of the one that swam by us in 25 feet of water when we were not prepared to hunt pelagics. Using a pole spear with this is not a great idea unless you have a waist reel or float line hooked up!

Free-diving in Bali off of the FADs (fish-attracting devices). While they did allow us to use spearguns free-diving, we had to borrow the local guide's very simple guns since our luggage did not arrive. Rob and I got three triple tails, a mahi mahi and a rainbow runner. We shared this with all the people staying at the resort with us for my birthday dinner.

Rob with a big Black Grouper from outside Florida area... notice banded spear gun and scuba tanks which are illegal in Bahamas for spearing. We will not spear or eat grouper or snapper from Bahamas for fear of ciguatera poisoning. (Refer to one of my previous posts on this).

Huge Amberjack, I shot free-diving with a float-line...otherwise I would have gone water-skiing!

Huge 16 inch Lionfish; These invasive species are delicious, very delicate and tender white meat perfect for ceviche or sashimi, though the spines carry a very potent toxin that burns terribly if one gets poked. It can be inactivated by very hot water. Many countries in Caribbean and Atlantic welcome the harvesting of these fish because they are annihilating the local fisheries, eating 2.5 to 8.9% of their body weight daily. Importantly, even in the national parks of Dry Tortugas and Bahamas, no spearing of lionfish is allowed.

MAHI MAHI IS A WELCOME CATCH: Low risk of ciguatera, and mild risk of scombroid if not stored properly.

Huge female Mahi Mahi ,much larger than Rob's :) an uncommon event!

This beautiful male Hogfish is the object of our desire when we next are out of the park in a hunting area. This picture was from Gulf of America (notice banded/triggered speargun) and only serves as a demonstration of the size hogfish we take. The male has the dark stripe and when the male from the area is removed, the largest female transitions to a male. Yes, these and many other invertebrates and fish are true hermaphrodites and can reproduce after changing sex. (This is not the case with humans or any other mammals.)

🌊 PACIFIC CRUISER HARVEST GUIDE

🇵🇦 Panama (Pacific side)

Allowed – Vertebrates

• Pelagic fish

• Reef fish (outside MPAs "Marine Park Areas")

Allowed – Invertebrates

• Octopus (often legal) check local rules and regulations

• Lobster / crayfish (seasonal): Open July2 - Feb 29th; no widely published bag or size limits

Prohibited / Avoid

• Sea cucumbers

• Chitons

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, turtles

Notes

• Pacific side generally more permissive

• MPAs strictly enforced

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

Allowed – Vertebrates

• Pelagic fish

• Reef fish (outside no-take lagoons)

Allowed – Invertebrates

• Octopus, Lobsters, Crabs, etc: no widely published rules or regulations, assume no-take or ask chief's permission

• Some non-protected shellfish

  
  

Prohibited / Avoid

• Giant clams (all species)

• Sea cucumbers

• Chitons

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, turtles

Notes

• Export prohibited

• Lagoon rules vary by island

🇫🇯 Fiji

Allowed – Vertebrates

• Pelagic fish

• Reef fish (with village permission)

Allowed – Invertebrates

• Octopus

• Lobster / crayfish (seasonal)

• Some shellfish (with permission)

Prohibited / Avoid

• Giant clams

• Sea cucumbers (often under moratorium)

• Chitons

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, turtles

Notes

• Village chief permission required

• Tabu (no-take) areas common

What Cruisers Can Usually Take (Personal Use)

✅ Generally Allowed (Most Regions)

• Pelagic fish (tuna, mahi, wahoo)

• Reef fish (outside marine parks)

• Lobster / crayfish (in season, where legal)

⚠️ Sometimes Allowed (Verify First)

• Octopus (Pacific, some Caribbean areas)

• Conch (often locals-only outside Bahamas)

• Squid

• Some shellfish (Pacific only, non-protected species)

🚫 Generally Prohibited

• Sea cucumbers

• Chitons

• Sea urchins (Caribbean)

• Giant clams

• Corals & live rock

• Sharks, rays, turtles, marine mammals

Cruiser Rules of Thumb

• If it doesn’t swim freely, assume it’s protected

• Marine parks override everything

• Invertebrates carry the highest enforcement risk

• Export without permit is usually illegal

• When unsure: stick to hook-and-line pelagic fish

Dolphin, not to be confused with Mahi Mahi, taste like a cross between manatee and bald eagle...just kidding! Seeing if you are paying attention! These beautiful mammals are so playful and have been said to protect humans from sharks. I love to have a pod playing on the bow and chasing flying fish whenever we are sailing.

Hope this helps you keep food on the table and the crew out of jail!

Hope to Sea You Soon!

Sheri and Rob