The 2027 lobster closed season

When is the lobster closed season in the Dominican Republic?

From 1 March to 30 June, every year. The dates come from Decree 119-12 and match a regional closed season across Central America.

The ban is announced by CODOPESCA, the Dominican fisheries council. Its 2021 notice, reported by elCaribe, cites Decree 119-12 of 4 March 2012, articles 48 and 80 of fisheries Law 307-04, and the regional rule OSP-02-09, which sets a simultaneous closed season for Central America and the Dominican Republic.

The Ministry of Environment enforces it with CODOPESCA, the environmental police (SENPA) and the Navy. In June 2022 a joint team seized about 350 pounds of spiny lobster from a fish shop in Montecristi, according to El Nuevo Diario, which gives the ban as running "desde el primero de marzo al 30 de junio de cada año": from 1 March to 30 June of each year.

What does the lobster ban cover?

Catching, processing, holding, transporting and selling lobster, live or as meat. Four species are covered, including the Caribbean spiny lobster.

CODOPESCA's notice bans "la captura, el procesamiento y la tenencia de langostas vivas, carne o masa", which means catching, processing and holding live lobster or lobster meat, plus selling and transporting it. Fishers have to take their lobster traps out of the water before the start date, according to an earlier notice.

Supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and fish shops are urged not to buy lobster during the ban. Any stock they already hold must be declared within five working days and taken off shelves and display freezers until the ban ends. Undeclared lobster is treated as illegal and confiscated. In plain terms: lobster on a menu in April is a red flag, not a loophole.

Can you get lobster on a Saona tour after 1 March 2027?

No. The tours here that sell lobster as an upgrade say it is not available from March, and the standard lunches carry on as normal.

Two listings spell it out. The classic speedboat and catamaran day sells a VIP option with lobster and premium drinks, and the listing states that lobster is not available from 1 March to 1 June. The small-group luxury catamaran offers a lobster upgrade and says it is not available from March to June.

The basic trip does not change. On the classic day the buffet is chicken, pork, rice, beans, salad and fruit, with the open bar on the catamaran back. If lobster was the reason to pick the VIP option, check what else it includes before paying for it in spring.

The most booked Saona day: speedboat out, natural pool, buffet and open bar. Add the VIP lobster option for a date before March.

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Is lobster back on Saona tours in June?

Do not count on it. One listing says 1 June, but the Dominican ban runs until 30 June. Expect lobster again from 1 July.

The gap is a month. The 1 June date on the buffet listing comes from the operator; the 30 June date comes from the law. If you travel in June and want lobster, ask the operator in writing before you book, and keep the answer. We would not plan on it before July.

Skip a beach vendor's lobster in June too. The vendors on the main beach are not part of your tour, and buying lobster during the closed season feeds the illegal trade the ban is meant to stop.

Are other seafood closed seasons relevant to a Saona trip?

Yes, two. Four crab species share the 1 March to 30 June ban, and queen conch (lambí) is closed from 1 July to 31 October.

The crab ban covers the land crab paloma de cueva, the blue crab jaiba and two more species, under Decree 6-18, according to elCaribe. Diario Libre gives the lambí closed season as 1 July to 31 October, which overlaps the tail of the hurricane season rather than the winter peak.

Put together, November to February is the stretch when lobster, crab and conch are all in season. That lines up with the start of high season, covered in our 2026-27 high season post.

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