This week we asked you all to send us photos of Crabs, crabbing or even eating crabs! The response again was huge. Thank you to everyone that submitted photos this week.  Congratulations to DAVID GOLIGHTLY – he won this week with his photo showing how to stone crab.

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The Florida stone crab is usually fished near jetties, oyster reefs or other rocky areas, just as for blue crabs. The bodies of these crabs are relatively small and so are rarely eaten, but the claws (chelae), which are large and strong enough to break an oyster’s shell, are considered a delicacy. Harvesting is accomplished by removing one or both claws from the live animal and returning it to the ocean where it can regrow the lost limb(s). To be kept, claws must be 2.75 inches (70 mm) long, measured from the tips of the immovable finger to the first joint.

Florida stone crabs are legal for harvest from October 15 until May 15. Claws are sold by size, generally in four sizes: medium, large, jumbo, and colossal.