Lobster and Kona crab will be off-limits for harvesting for four months beginning May 1.
Lobster and Kona crab will be off-limits for harvesting for four months beginning May 1.
The annual closure, meant to protect the stocks during the peak of their reproductive season, will last through August.
The closure applies to both spiny and slipper lobsters.
Any caught before the closure can still be sold after the season ends.
A third lobster species, the Hawaiian Lobster, also inhabits Big Island waters but is generally too small to harvest, said Alton Miyasaka, state Department of Land and Natural Resources biologist.
The state’s four other crab species are not affected by the closure.
Miyasaka said a permit is only needed to harvest for commercial purposes.
The harvesting of females is prohibited.