Spiny Lobster
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Most people's familiarity with spiny lobsters begins and ends with the dinner plate.
Spiny lobsters are found in temperate and tropical waters around the world.
They are best known as the lobsters without the front claws, and therefore they are harvested for their tails.
The picture shows the California Spiny Lobster, also known as the Red Rock Lobster (Panulirus Interruptus). It is found off the central and southern California coast and Baja, California.
During the spring months, spiny lobsters tend to migrate to shallow water, making them a nice find for beachcombers in rocky intertidal areas. If discovered, the best advice would be to look but otherwise leave them alone. The California Spiny Lobster Fishery is one of very few fisheries world-wide to receive the Marine Stewardship Council sustainable fisheries certificate.
© 2008 Patricia A. Michaels