Marooned on no-name sandbars among the mangroves in the Florida Keys are acres of broken lobster traps and the crumbled livelihoods of Florida fishermen.
Many marinas and harbors in the middle Keys are closed. Boats that normally would carry lobster trappers and fishermen into the Keys’ fruitful waters were forbidden by the U.S Coast Guard from sailing for more than a week. The middle keys are a minefield of boat wreckage and underwater power lines that stand to make hidden booby traps for any would-be fisherman.
More than two weeks after Hurricane Irma, the Keys’ $150 million commercial fishing and trapping industry is at a standstill. And the result could affect every link in the chain, from the fisherman to the restaurant and grocery store consumer. If you find Florida spiny lobster at your local market, it will undoubtedly be frozen.
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