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Stone crab season in Florida runs from October 15th to May 15.
Florida stone crab claws are one of the most delicious seafoods you can find anywhere. Cracked claw dipped in drawn butter is a wonderful seafood delicacy and is great tasting.
Stone crabs are harvested primarily with wooden or plastic traps. Traps can potentially damage bottom habitat if they are deployed and retrieved from coral reefs or live hardbottom. Seagrasses can also be damaged by placement and retrieval of traps.
Commercial mariculture of stone crabs has been considered since the late 1960s due to highly variable commercial landings coupled with high market demand and premium prices for stone crab. The most recent attempts at mariculture show that major hurdles, such as large space requirements and the aggressive nature of the animal, must be overcome before commercial production of stone crab is successful.
Gulf stone crab are found from northwest Florida around the Gulf of Mexico to the state of Tamaulipus, Mexico. Florida stone crab are found from west central Florida around the peninsula to east central Florida and North Carolina. An extensive hybrid stonecrab zone occurs from the big bend area of Florida to west central Florida, and a smaller hybrid zone occurs from east central Florida through South Carolina. A hybrid zone is where the range of the two interbreeding species meet.
Adult Gulf stone crabs are found on mud flats and oyster reefs in nearshore and estuarine areas. Juveniles and adults both feed on oysters, acorn barnacles, conchs, sea anemones, flatworms, boring clams, blue crabs, hermit crabs, common mussels, and vegetative matter.
Females mature at around 2.4 inches carapace width; stonecrab males mature at around 2.8 inches carapace width. The carapace is the part of the exoskeleton that covers the first section of the crab's body.
Predators of juveniles include other xanthids (crustaceans), grouper, black sea bass, and other large fish. Octopi, horse conchs, sea turtles, cobia, and grouper feed on adult stone crab. Juvenile stone crabs are more susceptible to predators than adults because they do not burrow or have the large claw of adults. Stone crabs have a large crusher claw and a smaller pincer claw with numerous small teeth used for cutting. The Gulf stone crab is maroon brown, as compared to the Florida stone crab which is spotted and banded.
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/stone_crab.htm
Recent Reviews:
• www floridalobster com
• www fl-seafood com
• www seafood com
• www alaskaseafood org
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