Spiny Lobster Trap Gear Fishery Management Areas Map & GIS Data

Map overview of areas closed to spiny lobster trap gear. 

Map of Lower Keys areas 1-13 closed to spiny lobster trap gear.

Map of Middle Keys areas 14-48 closed to spiny lobster trap gear.

Map of Upper Keys areas 49-60 closed to spiny lobster trap gear.

The Southeast Region, Sustainable Fisheries Division is responsible for managing commercial and recreational fisheries in the southeastern United States and the U.S. Caribbean under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act.

These seasonal/area closure maps and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data represent areas that include the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic Region:

Title 50 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), PART 622 FISHERIES OF THE CARIBBEAN, GULF OF MEXICO, AND SOUTH ATLANTIC

For the precise legal definition of the fishery management plan and geographic coordinates, please consult Subpart R-Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic:

Section 622.406  Areas closed to lobster trap gear (a) Areas where fishing with spiny lobster trap gear is prohibited year-round

THESE MAPS AND DATA ARE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY.

The CFR should be consulted for the precise legal definition of fishery management areas and geographic coordinates. Esri's ArcGIS software or Google Earth can be used to open GIS shapefiles. Google Earth can also be used to open zipped KML (KMZ) files to view the management areas. Click here to download Google Earth. Metadata (information about the GIS shapefile data) is available in XML or an easy-to-read HTML format, and is included in the zipped shapefile.

For more information or questions about this data please contact the GIS Coordinator at nmfs.ser.gis.coordinator@noaa.gov.