Blue Land Crabs

Season Dates and Bag Limits

• Closed season: July 1- October 31
• Daily recreational bag limit: 20 per person per day

Licensing Requirements

A recreational fishing license is required to harvest blue land crabs.  The shoreline exemption for anglers using a pole or line, not equipped with a fishing line retrieval mechanism, does not include anglers who use any type of gear other than hook and line.  For instance, crabbers who use crab nets, dip nets, landing nets or harvest by hand will need to purchase fishing licenses.  

See Shoreline Fishing FAQS for more information.

Allowable Harvesting Gear

• By hand or with the use of a landing or dip net
• You may not use bleach or any other chemical solution to harvest blue land crabs.
• You may not use traps to harvest

Additional Restrictions

• Harvest, possession, purchase or sale of eggbearing blue land crabs is prohibited.
• The practice of stripping or otherwise molesting eggbearing blue land crabs in order to remove the eggs is prohibited and the harvest, possession, purchase or sale of blue land crabs from which the eggs, egg pouch or bunion has been removed is prohibited.
• No person shall harvest or attempt to harvest any blue land crab on, upon or from the right-of-way of any federal, state or county-maintained road, whether paved or otherwise, or from any state park.

Learn more about land crabs in Florida.