As Florida’s stone crab harvest season officially begins today, Miami-based seafood market George Stone Crab is gearing up for the catch. CEO Roger Duarte and his team can now legally start harvesting one of the state’s most iconic delicacies.
“[Stone crab] is an iconic product,” Duarte said. “It’s something that locally caught, locally sourced.”
Stone crabs are native to the Florida coast, weighing up to 1.5 pounds and stretching six inches. About $30 million are contributed by stone crabs in Florida’s economy every year, according to sources.
The crabs date back to the 1890s when fisherman frequently found them caught in their traps while searching for lobsters. Now, the seafood has popularized in South Florida thanks to one of Miami’s oldest restaurant, Jose’s Stone Crab.
During the season, Duarte’s business processes around six to eight thousand pounds per day at the Florida Keys and distributes them at the Miami warehouse. With their personal boats and traps, a handcrafted approach is used by the fisherman at George Stone Crab.
“We use traps and a buoy. We put bait in that and then we pick up the traps 10, 15 days later,” said Duarte.
Following state regulations, fisherman are only allowed to harvest the claws that are the legal size of 2 7/8 inches. This allows for the animals to revive and regrow the claws.
“We throw the crab back in the water,” said Duarte. “We clean the trap, we put bait in it, and throw back the trap in the water.”
Stone crab season runs through May 1. and local deliveries at George Stone Crab start today. Click here to learn more about Duarte’s company.
