# The legality of Blue lobsters...



## Guest (Jul 29, 2009)

I've seen that Blue lobsters are quite popular in the fishkeeping hobby, however I thought I would create a thread explaining that not all species are legal in the UK.

Before I go into any detail I would recommend that anyone considering buying one of these looks at the following articles...

Stuff you need to know about Blue lobsters | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

Blue lobster, Cherax quadricarinatus | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

As pointed out in the articles most species of 'Blue lobster' are banned in the UK due to the threat towards our own native species, _Austropotamobius pallipes_. Blue Crayfish do look alike however the following species are illegal in the UK:

_Procambarus alleni_, the American Blue Florida crayfish. Length approx 15cm/6".

_Cherax tenuimanus_ from Australia. Length approx 40cm/16".

_Cherax destructor_ from Australia. Length approx 20cm/8".

If you are keeping any of the above species then you risk a large fine and a criminal record. The only species of Blue Lobster that is legal in the UK is _Cherax quadracinatus _. Also banned are all species from the families Astacidae, Cambaridae and Parastacidae.


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