Record Prices For Stone Crab Claws Amid Scarcity

KEY WEST, Fla. — Commercial fisherman are reporting record prices for stone crab claws this season — but only because the crabs were scarce in Florida waters.

Stone crab season closes at midnight Thursday.

Conch Key-based commercial fisherman Gary Nichols tells The Key West Citizen (http://bit.ly/1jiUOx4 ) that fish houses paid $25 to $30 a pound for jumbo-sized claws, $18 to $21 a pound for large claws and $8 to $11 a pound for medium claws.

But Nichols also says his harvests averaged a hundred pounds lighter than in previous years.

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