Recreational Stone Crab Season Now Open

Grab the butter and the claw crackers stone crab season has officially opened in the Sunshine State.

The season runs Oct. 15, 2014, through May 15, 2015. While residents are free to try their hand at harvesting these critters, the state does have some pretty strict rules in place.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warns residents that the minimum limit size for crabs in Gulf and Atlantic waters is 2 ¾ inches. The daily limit is 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is the lesser amount.

Harvesters are only allowed to take the claws – the critters must be thrown back. Keep in mind, however, taking both claws does leave the “stone crab with few alternatives to defend itself from predators,” the state’s website says.

When one claw is left in place, crabs are also better positioned to regrow the missing one faster.

“Stone crabs have the ability to grow back their claws, but this process requires a large amount of energy in the form of food,” the state’s site says. “The quicker the crab can obtain the energy required to molt and grow its lost claw, the sooner this renewable delicacy will have another claw to replace the missing one.”

To find out more about the regulations around harvesting claws, visit FWC online. A guide to measuring stone crab claws is also available.

What’s your favorite part of stone crab season? Tell us by commenting below!

Photo Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission