lay their traps.

The two areas, set by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, consist of a 17-square-mile western site from Wreck Hill out to just past Chub Head Beacon and across the reef platform to Western Blue Cut, and a 14 square mile eastern zone marked roughly between Harbour Radio in St. George's, North East Beacon, North Rock and Buoy 3A.

The zones came into effect yesterday until the close of the spiny lobster season on March 31.

A system of rotating the fishing boundaries has been devised to try and keep lobster stocks healthy.

Senior Fisheries Officer Dr. Brian Luckhurst said: "This change is designated areas is part of an ongoing evaluation of the spiny lobster programme, undertaken with input from commercial lobster fishermen.

"From now on designated areas will be rotated from year to year. The new areas are contiguous with the areas that were used last season and are intended to provide for better long term sustainable harvest of the spiny lobster stock.'' The boundary lines for the two new areas are defined by existing navigational beacons and buoys and yellow drum buoys have also been added along the boundary line to make it easily identifiable.