The upside of a major rock lobster beaching along the west coast is that the short-term price of lobster tails might drop at restaurants, but the long-term effect could be much higher prices.
The beaching has been attributed to a "red tide" caused by a toxic proliferation of algae.
More than 200t of rock lobster have been driven from the sea along the west coast since the weekend, mainly at Elands Bay.
Many of them headed for the shore before being contaminated by the red tide and this has resulted in an oversupply.
The 200t is more than double the official rock lobster quota allowed fishermen .
Experts have warned that the scarcity of the crustaceans expected to follow the glut might force the government to reassess the quotas - which will send prices soaring.
Shaheen Moolla, a prominent fisheries consultant and former chief director in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said the beaching was placing an additional strain on the already much depleted supply of rock lobsters - down to 3% of what it was a century ago.
The rock lobster catch allowed was reduced by 17% for the current season as part of a resource-rehabilitation plan. The department has also cut the amount of rock lobster allocated to small-scale subsistence fishermen, who must survive off the 110kg each is allowed to catch.
A department spokesman said most of the stranded lobsters had died and had to be dumped. But healthy lobsters are being gathered and returned to the sea.
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