Stone Crab Season Starts; Trappers Hope For Bigger Hauls

HERNANDO BEACH — The parade of boats heading out to stone crab hunting grounds in the Gulf of Mexico has been growing steadily for two weeks.

What they will find — and how much a pound of jumbo claws will cost — remains something of a mystery.

One thing is certain this season, which starts today: Almost anything will be an improvement over last year, which industry officials described as one of the most dismal seasons in memory.

Hit by bad weather, smaller than usual crabs and a massive infiltration of trap-raiding octopuses, trappers barely got by.

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