All speciesPremium wild-caught

Southern Rock Lobster

Wild-caught in cold southern waters using baited pots. Tasmania, SA, and Victoria's lobster fisheries supply both the domestic premium market and live export to Asia.

Jasus edwardsii
Flavour: Sweet, dense, delicately briny — the finest cold-water lobster in the world

Four reasons to choose local

Health

  • Lean, mineral-rich premium protein
  • Caught in cold pristine waters — minimal contaminant exposure
  • Pot-caught means no chemical residues at all

Economy

  • Live export underpins entire Tasmanian and SA towns
  • Robe and Apollo Bay rely on the seasonal fleet
  • Regional skilled jobs — vessel crew, divers, processors

Environment

  • Pot fishery — near-zero bycatch
  • Stock-status assessed and published every two years
  • Strict TAC quotas adjusted to biomass

Taste

  • Sweet, dense flesh from cold southern waters
  • Live export to Asia is a benchmark for quality
  • Sashimi from a live lobster is unforgettable

Sourcing

Southern Rock Lobster is exclusively wild-caught.

Where it comes from

Southern Rock Lobster is most strongly associated with these 6 Australian regions:

Nutrition (per 100g)

How Southern Rock Lobster compares to imported equivalents on the headline nutrients consumers care about.

Protein20.5g18.9g
Selenium75µg55µg
Vitamin B121.4µg1µg
Zinc3.5mg2.8mg
Copper1.6mg1.2mg

Seasonality

When to enjoy Southern Rock Lobster at its peak.

Janpeak
Febpeak
Marpeak
Aprpeak
Maygood
Junavailable
Julavailable
Augavailable
Sepavailable
Octgood
Novpeak
Decpeak
Peak Good Available Off-season

How to cook it

Four go-to preparations for Southern Rock Lobster that respect the fish — short cooks, clean flavours, no over-doing it.

Split & grill

Halve live, brush with garlic butter, grill cut-side down 6 min, finish flesh-up 3 min.

Sashimi

Spike a live lobster, slice tail meat against the grain, soy + wasabi.

Mornay

Béchamel + gruyère + dijon, fill the half-shell, gratinate under the grill.

Thermidor

Cooked tail meat in cognac-cream sauce, back into the shell, gratinate.

Australian vs imported — at a glance

Wild-caught Southern Rock Lobster from Tasmania, SA, and Victoria vs imported lobster from Canada, USA, and Cuba.

Australia
Southern Rock Lobster
Tas, SA, Vic
🇦🇺 Local
Protein (per 100g)20.5g
Selenium (per 100g)75µg
Wild vs. FarmedWild-caught (pots)
Quota ManagementStock-status assessed
Live Trade StandardsWorld-leading
Bycatch RateVery low (pot fishery)
Price per kg~$120
Overall rating: Southern Rock Lobster scores 9.3/10 — premium wild-caught quality with sustainable pot-fishery management.
vs
N. America / Caribbean
Imported Lobster
Canada / USA / Cuba
Protein (per 100g)18.9g
Selenium (per 100g)55µg
Wild vs. FarmedWild-caught
Quota ManagementVariable
Live Trade StandardsVariable
Bycatch RateVariable
Price per kg~$70
Overall rating: Imported lobster scores 6.5/10 — freshness varies, especially for frozen or long-haul live shipments.

Read the full comparison →

The risks of the imported version

Typically imported from: Canada, USA, Cuba

  • Frozen-thawed product common — texture loss is significant
  • Live transit by air carries large carbon and welfare cost
  • Variable quota management across origin countries

See the full case against imported seafood →

How to buy it

🔍
Look for:

Ask for the species: Southern Rock, Western Rock, or Tropical Rock — and confirm "live" or "cooked".

From 1 July 2026, every restaurant menu in Australia must show A (Australian), I (Imported), or M (Mixed) for each seafood dish. Read the law →

Sources for this page

  1. Status of Australian Fish Stocks Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2024)