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Spiny lobster:professional buying guide, season, minimum size, red, pink or imported

Spiny lobster for the trade: red spiny lobster from Brittany and Corsica, closures, minimum size, tag, fish auctions, imported species, prices.

Updated 9 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. When to buy red spiny lobster?
  3. Red, pink or imported spiny lobster: how not to get it wrong?
  4. How to judge a live spiny lobster?
  5. What to replace spiny lobster with?
  6. What makes the price of spiny lobster move?
  7. Frequently asked questions

The European spiny lobster (langouste rouge, Palinurus elephas) is a crustacean without claws, caught in nets or pots on the rocky grounds of the tip of Brittany and of Corsica; it is bought live, mainly from June to September, and is distinct from the pink spiny lobster (langouste rose, Palinurus mauritanicus), a deeper-water species of the African Atlantic, and from spiny lobsters imported from the Caribbean, Brazil or the southern hemisphere, often sold frozen. In France, "langouste rouge" and "langouste" are the permitted names for Palinurus elephas; but other species can also be sold under the name "langouste rouge": only the scientific name, mandatory on the label, decides.

Buying sheet

European spiny lobster
Scientific namePalinurus elephas
Peak seasonJune to September: nearly 70% of auction sales in 2024. Almost no sales from January to March
Closed seasonBrittany: fishing prohibited from 1 January to 31 March, berried females prohibited all year round. Corsica: commercial fishing closed from 1 October to 1 March. Mediterranean: females prohibited
Minimum size11 cm carapace (cephalothorax) length for French vessels in the Atlantic, English Channel and North Sea (95 mm under EU law); 90 mm in the Mediterranean and in Corsica
MarkingTag at the base of the antenna, mandatory for every red spiny lobster landed on the Channel and Atlantic coasts
Size grades on price lists (examples of trade practice, not a standard)400/600 g, 600/800 g, 800 g/1 kg, 1 kg+
Main French fish auctions (2024)169 t sold at auction. Audierne 68 t, Brest 51 t, Roscoff 9 t, Le Guilvinec 9 t, Les Sables-d'Olonne 6 t
OriginsFAO area 27 (Iroise Sea, tip of Brittany, Bay of Biscay) and FAO area 37 (Corsica, Mediterranean). The species lives from Norway to Morocco and in the Mediterranean
Fishing methodsMainly trammel net, in Brittany often as bycatch of monkfish fishing; pots
YieldNot given by our sources (FAO, Seafish). 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 moist, for as short a time as possible

Minimum sizes and females: Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 (Annexes I, V to VII and IX) and amended French order of 28 January 2013. Closures: Finistère departmental fisheries committee (Brittany), Corse-du-Sud prefecture (Corsica). Marking: national fisheries committee (CNPMEM). Fish auctions: sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer); no Corsican auction hall appears there, and these figures only apply to auction hall sales.

  • 169 tof red spiny lobster sold at French fish auctions in 2024
  • 70%of these sales at Audierne and Brest
  • 11 cmminimum carapace length for French vessels in the Atlantic and the Channel

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions 2024; amended French order of 28 January 2013.

SpeciesJFMAMJJASOND
European spiny lobsterclosed season or figure not publishedclosed season or figure not publishedclosed season or figure not publishedlow landingsavailablepeak landingspeak landingspeak landingspeak landingsavailablelow landingspeak landings

●● high landings; ● present; ○ low; empty cell: no auction sales and fishing closed in Brittany. National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another. No Corsican auction hall appears in these data, and Corsica is closed from October to February.

When to buy red spiny lobster?

In summer. In 2024, auction sales started in April (about 5 tonnes), peaked in July (about 36 tonnes) and stayed strong until September: from June to September, nearly 70% of the year's sales. From January to March, almost none is sold: in Brittany, fishing is closed from 1 January to 31 March, and the national fisheries committee describes a campaign running from April to December. December is the exception to the autumn decline: about 18 tonnes sold, twice as much as in October.

In Corsica, the calendar is shifted: commercial fishing closes on 1 October and reopens on 1 March. Spiny lobsters caught before the closure may be sold until 15 October; after that, their display, transport, sale and storage are prohibited until the reopening. A "Corsican" spiny lobster offered in November should raise the question.

Red, pink or imported spiny lobster: how not to get it wrong?

On the price listSpeciesWhere it comes fromWhat you need to know
Langouste rouge, langouste (European spiny lobster)Palinurus elephasBrittany, Corsica, Mediterranean; also eastern Atlanticthe spiny lobster of the French coast, sold live, summer season
Langouste rose (pink spiny lobster)Palinurus mauritanicusEastern Atlantic, from Ireland to Senegal, and western Mediterranean, between 180 and 600 mmain fishery off north-west Africa, sold mostly fresh
Langouste blanche, langouste caraïbe (Caribbean spiny lobster)Panulirus argusWestern Atlantic, from Bermuda to Brazil, including the Caribbean (Cuba, Bahamas, Honduras)tails exported frozen
Langouste verte (smoothtail spiny lobster)Panulirus laevicaudaWestern Atlantic, Braziloften caught with the previous one
Langouste australe or de Saint-Paul (St Paul rock lobster)Jasus paulensisSaint-Paul and Amsterdam islands, southern Indian Oceanfished since 1950 in the French Southern Territories
Langouste rouge d'Australie (southern rock lobster)Jasus edwardsiiAustralia, New Zealandcan also be sold under the name "langouste rouge"

Names: European database of commercial names (France). Distribution ranges and fisheries: FAO, catalogue of the marine lobsters of the world (1991).

  • The scientific name decides. "Langouste rouge" is permitted for several species: Palinurus elephas, but also Jasus paulensis and Jasus edwardsii. A "langouste rouge" at an import price should send you to the label.
  • So does the condition. The spiny lobster of the French coast is sold live; a frozen spiny lobster, whole or as tails, is almost always imported. Sold defrosted, it must carry the mention "defrosted".
  • The season is a clue. A red spiny lobster from Brittany offered in February, during the closure, is not plausible: it comes from elsewhere, or from a holding tank.

How to judge a live spiny lobster?

It must react: a tail that curls up sharply when lifted, legs that move, intact antennae (the tag is fixed at their base). It must be heavy for its size: a spiny lobster that has just moulted is lighter, with less flesh and more water. In European waters of the Atlantic and the English Channel, spiny lobsters may only be landed whole: spiny lobster tails are a processed product, most often imported.

What to replace spiny lobster with?

UseSubstituteNote
Prestige piece, summerEuropean lobstersame season, see the European lobster profile
Grilled spiny lobster, out of seasonAmerican lobster, imported spiny lobsterall year round, cheaper, to be labelled as such
Medallions, tails, cookingImported frozen spiny lobster tailssteady all year round
Seafood platter, starterLarge langoustine, brown crabsee the langoustine profile

What makes the price of spiny lobster move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024European spiny lobster
Yearly average priceabout €39.20/kg (169 t)
Cheapest monthJune: about €32/kg
Most expensive monthDecember: about €67/kg
Spread between auctions (auctions handling about 5% of volumes or more)from about €35.70/kg (Audierne) to about €45.30/kg (Brest)

Year 2024, average first-sale prices at auction, all of France (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions; monthly prices read by the editorial team from the published monthly curve, rounded). The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

The time to buy is summer: from June to September 2024, with 23 to 36 tonnes sold a month, the average auction price stayed between about €32 and €35/kg. It rises again when landings fall, towards €40/kg in October and November (9 then 4 tonnes). December does not follow this rule: with about 18 tonnes, twice as much as in October, the average price reached about €67/kg, double the summer level. It is holiday demand, more than scarcity, that sets the December price; a spiny lobster for the Christmas Eve dinner should be booked early.

Audierne and Brest together account for 70% of auction sales, and their prices differ by almost €10/kg: about €35.70/kg at Audierne, about €45.30/kg at Brest in 2024. Size, condition, the timing of each port's landings and local outlets may explain part of the gap; the figures do not say which weighs most.

  • The season, moving against summer landings, and the year-end holidays.
  • The species and the condition: live red spiny lobster from the French coast costs more than imported frozen spiny lobsters.
  • The size: large pieces, sought after for presentation, are not necessarily the cheapest per kilo.
  • The volume: with 169 tonnes a year at auction for the whole of France, and almost all of it at Audierne and Brest, a few days of bad weather at the tip of Brittany are enough to empty the supply.
  • The closures: January to March in Brittany, October to February in Corsica.

Frequently asked questions

When is spiny lobster in season?

Red spiny lobster from Brittany is fished from April to December, with a peak from June to September: in 2024, these four months made up nearly 70% of auction sales. Fishing is closed from 1 January to 31 March in Brittany, and from 1 October to 1 March in Corsica.

What is the minimum size of a spiny lobster?

11 cm carapace length (from the tip of the rostrum to the rear of the carapace) for French fishing vessels in the Atlantic, the English Channel and the North Sea; EU law sets 95 mm in these waters. In the Mediterranean, 90 mm, and females may not be caught.

What is the difference between red and pink spiny lobster?

They are two species. The red spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) lives at depths of 5 to 160 m, on the rocky French coast. The pink spiny lobster (Palinurus mauritanicus) lives deeper, from 180 to 600 m, and is mostly fished off north-west Africa. The label must carry the scientific name.

Why is spiny lobster so expensive in December?

Because holiday demand arrives when the season is over. In 2024, the average auction price reached about €67/kg in December, against €32 to €35/kg from June to September, even though December sales (about 18 tonnes) were twice as high as in October.

What is the tag on the antenna for?

To count the red spiny lobsters landed. Since 2021, every red spiny lobster landed on the Channel and Atlantic coasts must be marked with a year-dated tag, supplied by the fisheries committees, which collect the unused tags at the end of the year. A spiny lobster from Brittany without a tag should raise the question.

How much flesh does a spiny lobster give?

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

Sources

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