On the 1st April the lobster season in Jamaica is closed until the 30th June. This is the season the lobsters breed and if one catches them before they can hatch their eggs, we are in effect destroying future supplies. During this period we do not offer lobster at our Mille Fleurs Restaurant, as we do not want to compromise and endanger the availability of lobster for future generations to enjoy.
Some people use a loop hole in the law to buy lobster before the season starts, freeze it and then continue to serve it during the closed season. This encourages poaching, people pretend that the lobster was caught & frozen before the season ignoring the protective statues  in place that try to ensure sustainability rather than short-term economical gain.
Our lobster suppliers know that once the season is open again we buy lobster but those delivered to us must abide by our guidelines.  We will not buy females with eggs, we will not buy very small or the very large sized specimens – the juvenile and breeding females must be thrown back into the sea.
Minimum Size Limit: Minimum 3 1/4″ carapace measurements allow juvenile lobsters the chance to mature and reproduce before they can be harvested.
Maximum Size Limit: Maximum 5″ carapace measurements protect the large, healthy breeding stock.
Our suppliers harvest using traps only, which have escape vents for under size lobsters. They are brought to us alive and we then kill them as painlessly as possible. There is a lot of discussion on this. Some say that if one chills them first, one numbs them so they don’t feel the pain, others say just drop them into the boiling pot but the most humane way is to simply take a knife to the central point of the head (where the 4 lines separate the parts of the head cross) and quickly cut the lobster head in half thus severing the nerve centre. It is a quick and painless death and shows respect for the life of the lobster you want to enjoy!
We do not want to preach to guests or dictate what they must or must not do, but we can engage in dialogue and encourage people to look, question and consider the impacts of their choices and become more conscious of these whilst they are on holiday in Jamaica