Nature protection group calls for public help to map lumpy lobsters

The Society for the Protection of Nature calls on the public to report sightings of the rare Mediterranean slipper lobster as part of a new campaign to map its distribution along Israeli shores.

Sightings can be reported on the organization’s Sea Watch application.

The largest crustacean living on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, the lobster is up to 45 centimeters (18 inches) long, has slipper-like flippers and no pincers, and has bumps on its back, hence its Hebrew name, lumpy lobster.

It is rare due to overfishing and has been declared a protected species by Israel, which means it cannot be fished or sold.

Bar Sternbach, the SPNI’s coordinator of SeaWatch and marine projects, says the species has been seen off the coast of Israel at depths of 10-30 meters (33 to 100 meters), grows slowly, matures at a relatively late age, and possibly lives for decades.

It lives mainly in rocky areas where it shelters during the day, going out at night to hunt for food, mainly shellfish.