FWC makes changes to stone crab season

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Fish & & Wildlife Conservation (FWC) has made the following changes to stone crab season:

· Moving the season’s end date from May 15 to May 1, closed on May 2.

· Requiring a 2.18-inch escape ring in all plastic and wood stone crab traps before the start of the 2023/2024 season.

· Increasing the minimum claw size limit by 1/8 inches from 2.75 inches to 2.875.

· Limiting possession of whole stone crabs on the water to two checker boxes, each up to 3 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet OR a total volume of 24 cubic feet. Checker boxes are used to hold crabs onboard a vessel before they are measured and legal-sized claws are removed.