The image depicts a stone crab with the minimum size of a claw for harvest: at least 2 7/8 inches from the joint at the elbow to the outer tip of the inner immovable part of the claw. (Courtesy FWC)
October 08, 2025
By FWC
Florida’s recreational and commercial stone crab harvest season begins Oct. 15, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. The season will remain open through May 1. The minimum claw size limit is 2 7/8 inches.
An unobstructed escape ring measuring 2 3/16 inches in diameter must be located within a vertical exterior trap wall for all recreational and commercial plastic or wood stone crab traps.
Recreational Trap Registration Recreational harvesters who are age 16 and older (including those normally exempt from needing a license) are required to complete an online, no-cost recreational stone crab trap registration. To register, go to GoOutdoorsFlorida.com , sign in, click the “Click here to get a License!” tile, scroll down to the “Saltwater Fishing” section, and select “Recreational Stone Crab Trap Registration.”
Upon completion, each person will receive unique trap registration numbers that must be included on each trap along with the owner’s full name and address. This information must be legible and be permanently attached to each trap.
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Other Tips and Regulations Care should be taken when removing the claws so as not to permanently injure the crab. Please refer to this YouTube video , which shows best practices for claw removal and current stone crab regulations. Claws may not be taken from egg-bearing stone crabs. Stone crabs may not be harvested with any device that can puncture, crush or injure a crab’s body. Examples of devices that can cause this kind of damage include spears and hooks.
Recreational harvesters may take a daily bag limit of 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less, and may use up to five stone crab traps per person. Traps that are not being fished should be removed from the water to avoid ghost fishing, a process in which marine species get caught in the trap for extended periods of time and are not harvested. Stone crab regulations are the same in state and federal waters.
For more info on stone crab, click here .
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