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European lobster:professional buying guide, season, size grades, blue or American lobster

European lobster for the trade: May to July season, minimum size, price-list size grades, Breton fish auctions, European or American lobster, holding tanks.

Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. When to buy lobster?
  3. European or American lobster: how not to get it wrong?
  4. How to judge a live lobster?
  5. Which size grade to choose?
  6. What to replace lobster with?
  7. What makes the price of lobster move?
  8. Frequently asked questions

The European lobster (Homarus gammarus), called blue lobster ("homard bleu") for the colour of its raw shell, is a crustacean caught in pots on the rocky grounds of the English Channel and the Atlantic; it is bought live, by weight and by the piece, and must not be confused with the American lobster (Homarus americanus), imported from Canada and the United States, more plentiful and cheaper. The European database of commercial names permits in France "homard" and "homard européen" for the former, "homard américain" and "homard canadien" for the latter: the scientific name on the label decides.

Buying sheet

European lobster
Scientific nameHomarus gammarus
Peak seasonMay to July. Very low landings from November to February
Closed seasonNo EU closure; in the Mediterranean, fishing for females is prohibited
Minimum size9 cm cephalothorax length for French commercial fishers since 1 August 2026 (amended French order of 28 January 2013); the EU rule is 87 mm in the Atlantic and the English Channel, 105 mm in the Mediterranean (EU regulation 2019/1241)
Size grades on price lists (examples of trade practice, not a standard)300/400 g, 400/600 g, 600/800 g, +800 g
Main French fish auctions (2024)228 t sold at auction. Brest 13%, Roscoff 13%, Noirmoutier 9%, Lorient 8%, Saint-Quay-Portrieux 7%, Le Croisic 6%, Granville 6%, Concarneau 5%
OriginsFAO area 27: western Channel, Iroise Sea, Celtic Sea, northern Bay of Biscay; also imported
Fishing methodsMostly pots, by inshore boats that come back every day
YieldNot given by our sources (Seafish, FAO). Example: about a third of the live weight as flesh, to be measured on your own deliveries
StorageIn a seawater holding tank; out of the tank, cool and damp, for as short a time as possible

Minimum size and females: Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, Annexes I, V to VII and IX; French order of 28 January 2013 as amended by the order of 24 December 2024 (French commercial fishing). Shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer). Part of the lobster is sold outside the auctions: these shares only apply to auction hall sales. National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

  • 228 tof lobster sold at French fish auctions in 2024
  • 13%of these sales at Brest, as many at Roscoff
  • 9 cmminimum cephalothorax length for French fishers since 1 August 2026

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions 2024; French order of 24 December 2024.

When to buy lobster?

Auction landings rise from April, peak from May to July, then collapse in autumn: in 2024, June sales weighed several times those of November. The price does the opposite. At its lowest in June, the average auction price reached about double in December, when holiday demand meets the lowest landings of the year. For a summer menu, Breton lobster is plentiful and at its best price; for the holidays, it should be booked early.

European or American lobster: how not to get it wrong?

  • The label: the trade name and the scientific name are mandatory. Homarus gammarus or Homarus americanus, there is no possible ambiguity.
  • The raw colour: the European lobster is midnight blue, speckled; the American one is greenish brown to orange. Cooked, both turn red.
  • The price: a "blue" lobster at the price of an American one, in midwinter and in quantity, should raise the question.

How to judge a live lobster?

It must react: a tail that curls up sharply when it is lifted, intact antennae. It must be heavy for its size. A lobster that has just moulted is "soft" or "hollow": soft shell, less flesh, more water.

Which size grade to choose?

Size gradeTypical use
300/400 gwhole lobster for one person, salad
400/600 gthe most requested in restaurants: half a lobster per plate, grilled or roasted
600/800 gwhole lobster to share, seafood platter
+800 gprestige piece

Examples of use noted by the editorial team, not a standard.

What to replace lobster with?

UseSubstituteNote
Grilled lobster, half lobsterAmerican lobsterall year round, cheaper, flesh slightly less firm
Prestige piece, summerEuropean spiny lobster (langouste rouge)also a summer season; 169 t at auction in 2024
Starter, seafood platterLarge langoustine, brown crabsee the langoustine guide

What makes the price of lobster move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024European lobster
Yearly averageabout €26.60/kg
Cheapest monthJune: about €21/kg
Most expensive monthDecember: about €42/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €24.20/kg (Noirmoutier) to €30.10/kg (Granville)

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, 2024 report). Monthly prices read by the editorial team from the chart in the report, to the nearest euro: the report does not publish the monthly values. Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of lobster volumes. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, holding tanks, transport and margin are added to it.

In 2024, around forty tonnes of lobster were put up for sale at auction in June, as much in July, against less than 5 t in November as in January. The price did the opposite: about €21/kg in June (the European observatory EUMOFA gives €20.93/kg for first sale in France that month), about €42/kg in December, double, and still €38 to €39/kg in February and in March. The spread of about €6/kg between the auctions that matter may come from the size grades and the timing of each port's landings, which the yearly average does not distinguish.

American lobster sits lower. From September 2021 to September 2024, live lobster imported from the United States entered the EU at a price between €14.37 and €38.14/kg depending on the week, and between €15 and €20/kg a little more than one week in two (EUMOFA, average import prices); over the same period, European lobster sold on average at €26.18/kg at first sale in France. The two prices are not taken at the same stage, but the order of magnitude confirms the gap between the two species.

  • The season, against landings: price at its lowest in early summer, at its highest in December.
  • The species: European lobster costs markedly more than American lobster.
  • The size grade: pieces of 400 to 600 g, the most requested, are not always the cheapest per kilo.

Frequently asked questions

When is lobster in season?

European lobster comes to auction mostly from May to July, with landings still reasonable in August. From November to February, it is scarce, and its average auction price peaks in December.

What is the difference between blue lobster and Canadian lobster?

They are two species: the blue or European lobster (Homarus gammarus), caught in the English Channel and the Atlantic, and the Canadian or American lobster (Homarus americanus), imported live or frozen, cheaper.

What is the minimum size of a lobster?

For a lobster caught by a French commercial fisher, 9 cm cephalothorax length (from the eye socket to the back of the carapace) since 1 August 2026. France raised it in stages: 8.8 cm on 1 January 2025, 8.9 cm on 1 August 2025. The EU rule is 87 mm in the Atlantic, the English Channel and the North Sea, and 105 mm in the Mediterranean (EU regulation 2019/1241). In the Mediterranean, females may not be caught.

How much flesh does a lobster give?

No public source puts a figure on it. As an example, in the order of a third of the live weight, less after a moult. Weigh your cooked and shelled lobsters to set your own yield.

What is the price of blue lobster?

In 2024, European lobster sold at about €26.60/kg on average at first sale in French fish auctions, from about €21/kg in June to about €42/kg in December (FranceAgriMer). Imported live American lobster entered the EU at between €15 and €20/kg a little more than one week in two from 2021 to 2024 (EUMOFA). The price paid to the fish merchant adds processing, holding tanks, transport and margin.

Sources

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