The Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) is a crab found in the western North Atlantic, from Connecticut to Colombia, including Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, Belize, Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, and the East Coast of the United States. The crab can also be found in and around the salt marshes of South Carolina and Georgia. The closely related species Menippe adina, the gulf stone crab, is sometimes considered a subspecies as they can interbreed to form hybrids, and they are treated as one species for commercial fishing, with their ranges partly overlapping. The two species are believed to have diverged approximately 3 million years ago. The species is widely caught for food.
Description
The stone crab's carapace is wide. They are brownish red with gray spots and a tan underside, and have large and unequally sized chelae (claws) with black tips.
In addition to the usual sexual dimorphism exhibited by crabs, the female Florida stone crabs have a larger carapace than males of a similar age, and males generally have larger chelae than females.
Reproduction
Females reach sexual maturity at about two years of age. In the 2011 season the mortality rates was found to be 62.9 percent and 40.8 percent respectively. In retrospect, 20 percent of landed claws are regrown. The catch varies from year to year, ranging between 2.0 and 3.5 million in the period 1982–2009, overwhelmingly from the Gulf coast (as opposed to Atlantic coast). This is believed to be the maximum amount possible, given current environmental conditions, regulations, and practices. The number of traps tripled between 1989–1990 and 2009–2010 without haul increasing (hence having a very low catch-per-trap level). The Seafood Watch program, managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, identifies "high concern" on fishing mortality, "moderate concern" on stock abundance, and the fishery management strategy to be "ineffective."
Claws are sold by size, generally in four sizes: medium, large, jumbo, and colossal.
The top buyer of stone crab claws is Joe's Stone Crab in Miami, and it plays a significant role in the industry, influencing the wholesale price and financing many crabbers.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, which rates fishery products by sustainability, gives the Florida stone crab its lowest rating of "Avoid" and suggests to "find an alternative" food.
Harvesting
Recreationally, individuals are limited to five traps per person and are required to have a Florida saltwater fishing license. However, regardless of baited traps or hand collecting, the same laws apply, which include not utilizing any gear that harms the physical crabs body, such as spears or hooks. Individuals must use only wood, plastic, or wire traps, and can collect no more than one gallon of claws per day, with no more than two gallons possessed on board a vessel at a given time. Size limit is also 2 7/8inch per claw. And cannot harvest from egg-bearing crabs. For both commercial and recreational use, traps can be no larger than 24x24x24 inches, or a volume of eight cubic feet.
References
Further reading
- Stone Crabs , Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.