Stone Crab Season Opens Today. Buy Them Where the Boats Tie Up.

Stone crab season opened today, Oct. 15, and runs through May 1. The traps have been sitting on the bottom for 10 days, because the FWC lets you set them early but not tend them until opening day. So this morning a lot of people are finally allowed to find out what they caught.

My advice for the rest of us: skip the middleman and buy claws where the boats tie up. Here's a short list of fish markets around Sarasota Bay that sell local catch, sorted by how early you have to get moving.

The boat-to-claw list

Hours are from each market's own website. Supply depends on what the boats bring in, so call before you drive.

Star Fish Company, Cortez

Star Fish Company sits on the water in Cortez village, one of the last working fishing villages on this coast. Its seafood market lists stone crab claws "from local waters and local fishermen" alongside grouper, snapper and mullet. There's a dockside restaurant out back if you'd rather someone else handle the mallet. Phone: (941) 794-1243. Note the short Monday and Sunday market hours.

Cortez Bait & Seafood, Cortez

A few blocks up the road, Cortez Bait & Seafood runs a retail counter next to a wholesale fish house, and stone crab is on its list of market items. The selection changes with what comes in, and the market itself says a quick call helps "when dinner depends on a specific item." Retail line: (941) 794-1547. It's the only one on this list open until 5 on Sunday.

Walt's Fish Market, Sarasota

Walt's has been selling the Wallin family's catch since 1918. The family says its boats still head into Sarasota Bay early for fish and crabs, and the market is open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Phone: (941) 921-4605. If you get off work at 5:30, this is your stop.

How the claw thing works

Only the claws are harvested. The crab goes back in the water, and it can regrow what it lost. The crab is not thrilled about this arrangement, but it does keep the fishery going.

If you're pulling your own traps

Recreational rules, straight from the FWC stone crab page:

• Season: Oct. 15 through May 1 in state waters (closed May 2).
• Size: claws must be at least 2 7/8 inches. Only claws may be taken.
• Bag limit: 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.
• No egg-bearing crabs. Leave them alone completely.
• Gear: up to 5 stone crab traps per person, plus a dip or landing net. Anything that punctures or crushes the crab body is illegal.
• Traps can only be pulled during daylight and can't sit in marked navigation channels. Check the FWC page for registration and trap specs before you set one.

Measure before you twist. A claw that's an eighth of an inch short is the most expensive dinner you'll never eat.

— Brooke