Gulf Gears Up For Friday’s Start To Stone Crab Season

Getting the crabs to crawl is one thing. Getting them to scuttle into traps is another. And getting enough crabs to pay for trips out into the Gulf to catch them is what really sets the tone for the stone crab claw market each year. The season opens on Friday.

From then until May 15, commercial crabbers and anyone with a crab trap can pull in the Popeye-looking crustaceans, snap off a claw, if it's big enough and sent the creature back into the briny to regenerate its lost extremity.

The delicacy of the deep is a draw with drawn butter around these parts, where an order of stone crab claws with a few hush puppies and a cup of cole slaw becomes a staple at eateries that serve up fresh seafood.

They aren't cheap, though, often selling for up to $9 a pound at the wholesale market.

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Photo courtesy of The Tampa Tribune