Lobster season starts on Tuesday and in order to catch them, you need a licence.

The season begins for both commercial trap fishery and recreational lobster diver fishery. Licences are available from the Department of Environmental Protection.

A department spokesman said: "This year, commercial spiny lobster fishermen will be permitted to bring some of their traps inside the reef line from September 1.

"This is in contrast with last season when traps were only permitted in the inshore areas from November 1. However, a large area in the centre of the platform, approximately 120.4 square kilometres — 46.5 square miles— will remain off limits to commercial fishermen."

The spokesman said each fisherman is allotted 11 standard traps supplied by the Marine Resources Section of the Department of Environmental Protection.

In addition, this is the first full season for the commercial guinea chick lobster fishery, for which ten licences have been granted.

Both commercial lobster fishermen and recreational lobster divers are required to submit catch statistics to the department.

Records of lobster catches from both the commercial and recreational fisheries are critical to the management of the stock.

Lobster season ends on March 31.