For Sorely Needed Standardized Lobster Surveys, It’s a Start

A method to measure populations in national parks could be expanded to other areas.

By the editors of Park Science magazine

About this article

This article was originally published in the "Research Roundup" section of Park Science magazine, Volume 39, Number 1, Winter 2024-25 (January 15, 2025).

Measuring a Caribbean spiny lobster in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Image credit: NPS

The Caribbean spiny lobster is an important fishery in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sustainable operation of this fishery relies on accurate lobster population surveys. But it's not easy to get accurate surveys. Past surveys weren’t long enough or didn't cover enough area.

In 2019, the National Park Service started a long-term project to monitor Caribbean spiny lobsters in three parks on the islands of St. Croix and St. John. The aim was to gather data on lobster populations to help improve future fishing decisions. Agency scientists published early results from this project in the April 2024 Bulletin of Marine Science.

Winter 2024-25 Issue

Park Science Magazine Read more Research Roundup articles

Initial results show low lobster population densities and few sampling sites with lobsters in the three parks. But the lobsters encountered were quite large. The authors say the method they used has wider utility than national parks. It could be expanded to other areas of the Caribbean or combined with other, similar, fish surveys in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Such a standardized approach would yield more robust results and significantly improve data on lobster populations in the region.

Richter and Feeley. 2024. Developing a Population Assessment for Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus in the United States Virgin Islands: Lessons Learned. Bulletin of Marine Science 100.