The California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) ranges from Monterey Bay, California to Manzanillo, Mexico. There is also a small, isolated population of this species at the northwestern end of the Gulf of California. The majority of the population is found between Point Conception, California (Santa Barbara County) and Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. Adult lobsters usually inhabit rocky areas from the intertidal zone to depths of 240 ft or more.

Based on a mitochondrial DNA analysis of the California spiny lobster along the Pacific coast of Baja California, García-Rodriguez and Perez-Enriquez (2006) did not find any genetic differences in the population, suggesting that there is a single population in the north Eastern Pacific. The notion that there is a single population has been also suggested based on the larval distribution (Johnson 1960; Pringle, 1986) and adult abundances (Vega 2006) with a center of the population in the central part of the peninsula.

In Baja California, 26 fishing cooperatives exploit P. interruptus, of these 10 are covered under the unit of certification. The legal exploitable area for the ten cooperative group members covers approximately 2,400 km2 along the coast of Mexico. This area extends from Cedros Island in Baja California through Punta Abreojos in Baja California Sur and includes Isla Guadalupe approximately 250 km off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. The 10 cooperatives operating in the central region of the Peninsula catch approximately 80% of the total catch of this species.

The greatest density of the stock is distributed between Cedros Island and Punta Abreojos in Mexico. Most of this area is part of the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, except Cedros Island, and is within a 5 km band along the shore.

While this species is commercially harvested, the fishery is well regulated and the population is known to be stable. This fishery was recertified by the Marine Stewardship Council system in June 2011. Click here to link to the MSC fishery page and to learn more about the MSC fishery certification unit.