FWC approves stone crab regulation changes

At its October meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved changes to recreational and commercial stone crab regulations for escape ring requirements.

These regulation changes include:

• For the 2023-24 stone crab season, an unobstructed escape ring 2 3/16 inches in diameter for all recreational and commercial plastic or wood stone crab traps is required, with no location requirement specified.
• For the 2024-25 stone crab season and beyond, an unobstructed escape ring 2 3/16 inches in diameter to be located within a vertical exterior trap wall for all recreational and commercial plastic or wood stone crab traps is required.

For more information, including the October 2023 Commission meeting presentation, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and click on “Commission Meetings.”

For current recreational stone crab regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations,” “Crabs, Lobster and other Shellfish” and “Stone Crab.”

For current commercial stone crab regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Commercial Regulations” and “Stone Crab.”