The commercial and recreational harvest of stone crabs in Florida closes on May 16, with the last day of harvest on May 15.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the closure happens each year during the species’ peak spawning season to, "help protect and sustain Florida’s valuable stone crab resource."
Stone crab season will reopen on Oct. 15.
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Commercially harvested stone crab claws may be possessed and sold during the closed season but only if they have been placed in inventory prior to May 16 by a licensed wholesale or retail dealer, a news release said.
Stone crab traps must be removed from the water within five days after the close of the stone crab season unless a special extension is granted by the FWC.
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