Florida’s recreational and commercial stone crab claw harvest season opens Oct. 15 in state and federal waters.
To be harvested, stone crab claws must be at least 2.75 inches in length when measured from the elbow to the tip of the lower immovable portion of the claw (see illustration).
Claws may not be taken from egg-bearing stone crabs. Egg-bearing females are identifiable by the orange or brown egg mass, also known as a “sponge,” which is visible on the underside of the crab when it is picked up or turned over.
Recreational harvesters can use up to five stone crab traps per person. Stone crabs may not be harvested with any device that can puncture, crush or injure a crab’s body. Examples of devices that can cause this kind of damage include spears and hooks. Recreational and commercial traps may be baited and placed in the water 10 days before the opening of the season, but may not be pulled from the water for harvest until Oct. 15.
Traps not being fished should be removed from the water to avoid ghost fishing, a process in which marine species get caught in the trap for extended periods and are not harvested.
Harvesters should take only one claw, even if both claws are of legal size so that the released crab can better defend itself from predators. A crab returned to the water with one claw intact can obtain more food in less time and can regrow its claw faster.
There is a recreational daily bag limit of 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.
The season will be open through May 15, 2017.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Stone crab claw season opens Oct. 15