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Butter Up! Stone Crab Season Opens

Bob Care
/
Florida Keys News Service
It's that time of year - stone crab season opened Thursday. Even though the season runs until May 15, most of the year's harvest is landed in the first two months.

  One of Floridians' favorite local foods should be back on the menu, with the opening of stone crab season on Thursday.

Stone crab clawsare making their way to docks, fishhouses and restaurants, with hopes for another good season. The 2014-2015 season was the most lucrative ever, said Ryan Gandy, a research scientist with the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

Credit Florida Wildlife Research Institute
/
Florida Wildlife Research Institute
Last season's harvest was lower than typical — but the most lucrative ever because the price per pound was high.

Total landings valued were estimated at $31 million. That's because the price per pound was high, Gandy said. The total volume of stone crabs brought in was lower than normal, though, about 2.1 million pounds.

Monitoring stations throughout the state are showing catch levels a little higher or about the same as last year, Gandy said. And there's more reason to hope.

"We've got a lot of rough weather coming and usually that gets crabs moving around," he said.

Stone crabs are a prized Florida delicacy, popular at seafood stands and upscale restaurants like the eponymous Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach, which closes during the off-season.

Credit Andy Newman / Florida Keys News Service
/
Florida Keys News Service
Stone crabs are the focus of an annual eating contest — based on speed, not volume — at Keys Fisheries in Marathon. This year's contest is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, at noon.

  They're even the focus of an annual eating contest — based on speed, not volume — at Keys Fisheries in Marathon. This year's contest is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Oct. 17. The first person to crack and eat 25 claws wins.

Nancy Klingener was WLRN's Florida Keys reporter until July 2022.
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