KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Fishermen in the Florida Keys say stone crab season is off to a slow start, but it's still an improvement over the previous disappointing season.
Conch Key fisherman Gary Nichols tells The Key West Citizen that "prices have been decent" but he's only harvesting 300 to 400 pounds of stone crab claws a day. In an average year, Nichols says he would be harvesting 600 to 800 pounds of claws a day.
Fishermen say the prices are making up for the small harvests. They're reporting up to $26 a pound for jumbo-size claws, $16 a pound for large claws and $9 a pound for medium claws.
The stone crab season began Oct. 15 and ends May 15. Last season was one of the worst in decades with dismal catches.
