MARATHON - Another slow hurricane season in Florida has commercial fishermen enthusiastic about the potential for a productive stone crab season when the annual harvest opens today.
Stone crab fishermen struggled in 2004 and 2005, when busy hurricane seasons in Florida reduced the available amount of the crustaceans, which are prized for their tasty claws. But the past two seasons have been much less active, a positive sign for commercial fishermen.
'It's going to make it good for the consumer, too, because crabs should be more plentiful, and more plentiful crabs usually means a little better pricing,' said Gary Graves, vice president of Keys Fisheries in Marathon.
Graves estimates opening retail fish market prices for medium crab claws should be around $12 per pound. Large claws should run about $16.
The state's commercial fishermen were so devastated after eight hurricanes affected Florida in 2004 and 2005 that state officials waived their trap certificate fees last year.
Fees have been reinstated this year and Graves says the vast majority of the state's fishermen are back in their industry.
Last year, fishermen in Florida harvested 2.4 million pounds of stone crabs, up from 2.2 million pounds in 2005.
The 2005 harvest was the lowest since 1986, when the state began requiring reports from all commercial landings.
The season runs through May 15. The Florida Keys usually accounts for some 40 percent of the state's annual stone crab claw harvest.
The stone crab is a renewable commercial fishing resource.
As long as they are of legal size, both claws can be snapped off before the crab is returned to the water to grow new extremities.
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