LOBSTER is on the menu this Christmas, as seafood stores in the Limestone Coast take their holiday orders.

Beachport, Port Macdonnell and Robe shopfronts are gearing up for the holiday rush, with some even offering online ordering for pickup.

Ferguson Australia is a seafood company established in the South East, operating across the state with exports around the world, their division Five Star Seafood runs a shopfront in Port Macdonnell selling local lobster.

Owner Andrew Ferguson said that at the current prices, more people may be able to enjoy a cray this holiday.

“We are hoping to see the demand increase for local lobster in the lead up to Christmas,” Mr Ferguson said.

“At the moment, our concentration really is on the local market because we are expecting that to be strong at this time of year.

An underperforming prawn season nationally could mean that more people will be opting for lobster over the standard Christmas favourite.

“The price is not all that different now, so we are hoping more people may just go for the lobster,” she said.

“It has become a lot more affordable, even when you are comparing the prices to something like steak.”

But Limestone lobster has not always been available to the Limestone Coast locals, with some of the stores opening their doors for the first time in the last year.

A falling demand for exported Southern Rock Lobster lead fishers and businesses to turn their sights to a more local market.

Mr Ferguson said while exports have slowed, having the flexibility to sell lobster locally has been a silver lining.

“The marketplace is a completely different place to what it used to be,” he said.

“It is good to see more of a local market.

“We offer some different types of seafood and lobster products as well, such as portioned lobster with butter ready to barbeque.”

Ferguson Australia currently is selling their lobsters online, $78 a kilogram for a whole cooked fresh or frozen lobster, and $75 a kilogram for a whole live lobster.

Sky Seafoods in Robe currently has their cooked lobster for sale at $65 for a lobster less than one kilogram, $75 for a lobster at one to one and a half kilograms.

The Lobster Pot in Beachport has been taking Christmas pre-orders, extending working hours to cater for the holiday demand.

The opening of the store in 2019 gave locals the opportunity to buy crayfish that was caught in Rivoli Bay for the first time.