Belize’s 2025–2026 lobster season, which ran from July 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026, impacted both commercial fishermen and tour guides offering fishing trips in San Pedro Town. While the season closed without any major issues, the Belize Fisheries Department has not yet released its official statistics for the period.
Throughout the season, fishermen in San Pedro faced challenging conditions as regulations restricted the harvest of soft-shelled, pregnant, and black-chested lobsters. These conservation measures meant that many fishermen mostly caught smaller lobsters. Larger lobsters, which were more common in previous years, were noticeably scarce, reducing overall yields for commercial fishers who depend on larger catches for volume sales.
In prior seasons, San Pedro fishermen reported strong catches at the start of the lobster season in July, with larger lobsters often abundant during the early months, and peak harvests typically occurring around November, when demand is highest. This season differed, as the scarcity of larger lobsters and the restrictions on certain catches limited the number of marketable lobsters compared to previous years.
One commercial fisherman noted during a phone interview on March 11th that many lobsters encountered throughout the season could not be harvested due to the regulations. “There were a lot of lobsters with soft shells, which couldn’t be caught. The ones that were pregnant and with black chests were restricted. What was left were a lot of small-sized lobsters. There were not many large ones like in past years,” he said.
A tour guide who also fishes for lobster shared similar observations, explaining that lobsters were more available earlier in the season. “Lobsters were there at the start, but it’s just the last month that lobsters became scarce,” he said.
Restaurateurs in San Pedro who serve lobster also noted that the lobsters supplied during the season were generally smaller than in previous years.
The limited number of large lobsters may place additional pressure on San Pedro’s fishing economy during the closed season, which remains in effect until June 30th. During this period, some fishermen typically shift their focus to tourism activities such as fishing tours, while others use the time to repair gear and prepare for the next season.
Despite the challenges, fishermen remain hopeful that lobster stocks will improve and that larger lobsters will become more common when the season reopens on July 1st.
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