When I was a kid, my dad would drop cinder blocks in the ICW and mark them with his LORAN. When we would go back to them, they would be loaded with stone crabs...we always had a good supply of crab claws
@@randyvfromtheperch It is like a crab hotel. It gives them structure to 'hide' You just have to dive down a grab the crabs, my dad would take their claws in the spot.
@@randyvfromtheperch Some people said it before me, but stone crabs love cover! At my local beach, I can find blue crab and stone crabs. The beach has a few major habitats. Mangrove, rocks, seagrass and algae beds, and sand flats. Blue crabs don't really care. I've found them amongst the rocks, out in the mangroves, roving the sand flats, and the seagrass meadows. You'll pretty much only see stone crabs amongst the rocks. They're called stone crabs for a reason!
Nobody needs your support more than the fisher-folks that provide for America. Thank you for your informative videos. They are always on point and on time! Much respect!
@@leonardmulrooney3806, that's not really a valid argument. Given the high percentage of stone crabs that die after their claws are removed. Taking both claws is basically a death sentence for the crab.
@@richardneilan2392 You're wrong. I catch many many many stone crabs that have been completely healed up and are in my traps feeding. I take both claws all the time and don't regret it for a minute.
Between 23%-81%, depending on if both claws are removed or not, die before the end of the molt. Which sounds like a lot, and it is, however before this they were nearly wiped out in Florida and doing this has saved the fishery.
Yeah it’s a better than the 0% survival rate of other harvesting methods but it’s stretch to call it sustainable. The crab populations still need to be monitored and managed to prevent over harvesting.
@Phillip Pahinui, I was friends with the sons and grandsons of the late, great, Gabby Pahinui of Slack-key guitar fame on Oahu. That name isn’t very common so I’m guessing you’re part of the ohana as well? 🤙🏼
Excellent video Reed, it is crazy how expensive things are getting but it's alot of work vs reward, that's why to many mom n pop places don't survive and that's sad.
Oh man, when I lived in the Gulf, Destin FL, every Thanksgiving we would get 2 massive bags of Stone Crab Claws and several bushels of Oysters. We would eat them smoked and the oysters raw with some Tabasco sauce and lime. We often had flounder and mullet as well that we harvested ourselves. I moved to Arizona back in 2010 and Thanksgiving just isn't the same anymore. 😢 I miss seafood so much!!
Always great content ,excellent production,love your stuff reed!enjoy the vuds and also learn something i can use in my daily life.keep them coming!hey you eat barnacles just a thought.
Always enjoy your videos Reed. I learn a lot about things I thought I already knew a lot about. And you're a likeable fellow, not everyone has the personality to talk to a camera like they're talking to a friend. Looking forward to whatever you have in store next! Thanks and take care out there.
My wife and I treated ourselves to Stone crab on our 20th anniversary in 2021, I love crab, but I just don’t think it’s worth the money. And now learning what the survival rate of the crabs is after the loss of clause reduces my desire to ever try them again.
NH representing! This channel is awesome… I’m a seafood lover and feel fortunate to live on the New England coast where we have some of the best seafood in the world…. but stone crab claws are outstanding too! I used to oyster in Great Bay out of a boat with my 16’ tongs.
As a kid in the 1970s I sometimes helped my best friend and his dad pull their lobster pots in Long island sound. It's hard, wet, smelly and often cold work, and it beats the heck out of your hands and your back, as well as your clothes. There was a big lobster die off in the 1990s in the Sound however and the population has never really come back.
I grew up on the crab boats my dad and grandfather were crabbers outta Cortez just outside of anna maria island in florida they also did net fishing till the ban we had blue crab all the time in when in season we would get stone crab as well my dad worked his butt off for those crabs but that's how he paid the bills it was a pretty tough life
Here in Sonoma county Ca out in Marshall theres a place called Tony's where I got a platter loaded with the sweetest stone crab claws for a song. They were delicious.
excellent video on where our food comes from.....on my first trip to Islamorada I noticed some traps set from the motel pier and then met someone from Long Island working there for a short time who already had a scar on his hand from not being careful enough handling these crabs....funny thing I have no problem handling cudas & bluefish (toothy) but not very brave handling a full size crab because the claws are a horror movie for me
Interesting. These are fairly cheap for shellfish in Spain, much cheaper than the spider crab for instance, but the whole crab is sold and honestly most of the time it is indeed the claws are the only good thing, the rest of the meat lacks taste and consistency. Sometimes the head is pretty good though, especially if it contains red "corals"
Admittedly the chances of the stone crab surviving after the claw removal isn't great. The researchers found that 12.8% of crabs died when no claws were removed, when one claw was removed properly, 23-59% died, when two claws were removed properly 46-82% died. They can't really protect themselves without claws, still better than 100% death of just taking the whole crab I guess. Plus they can continue to reproduce if they're lucky and the shock doesn't make stressed. Adam Ragusea made a video about fishing industry, anyone interested in a bit more could check that out.
Most crabs only have one claw legal size anyway. So the minority of crab harvested have both claws pulled then up to half of all of those survive. It’s pretty incredible!
Glad you mentioned that with numbers, was going to say simular without it, but your answer was better. Want to be able to keep harvesting the crops while they are alive then have zero crabs because they were eaten by prededers.
It would actually make a lot more sense if you were only allowed to take one claw from each crab regardless of size. That way their chances of surviving would be much higher and there would be more of them surviving to reproduce each year. a 10% difference is pretty high after all, but I guess what really matters is what percentage of the crab population is actually being caught each year.
I do national seafood sales, crazy amounts of stones this year, never seen so many and how cheap. With Helene and Milton right before season started, never expected this many.
Does claw harvest work with other crustaceans, like Maine Lobster? I have seen some without one claw, but I imagine most with one claw do not make it to the local lobster pound.
I gots to get me to Florida for some proper seafood. For a splurge, I'm fine with dropping some cash for Stone Crab claws. Plus the bib and hammer schtick is great fun in a group. 🙂
So I'm pulling my first stone crab traps this week and I've been trying to research what is the best way to hold the claws on your boat until you get home to cook them. I have read to NOT put them on ice. It looks like in the video they were filling a bin of claws with salt water. Did they leave the claws in the salt water until they got to the dock or were they just rinsing them off? If they just left them in the saltwater I was thinking my live-well would be a good place to hold the claws.
@@reedthefishmonger Got 3 legal claws, one was a jumbo. I was pleased with that being brand new traps that were lightly baited. Fully baited them and put out 5 more. The claws will be a great appetizer tonight. Thanks for the advice.
Admittedly, they are good. However, after I did a weight test, (shell/meat) it turned out that only 21% of the weight is edible. So with that in mind, Dunginess and King are just as good and more meat for the money...
Being a recreational fisherman, ocean fishing, crabbing, spiny lobster (when in season) makes me appreciate what the owner/operator commercial men and women do and deal with. There are some seafood I just can't afford except for maybe one occasion per year, but I don't complain about the prices.
The more that government entities squeeze out the legal fishermen businesses the more they drive up the poachers and illegal over-harvesters. BTW, that sunrise was a knockout!
Aaron @keywestwaterman covers both recreational and commercial stone crab harvesting. the claws pop off naturally as a defense mechanism, so it's not a traumatic event.
Until a couple years ago, it was 2 3\4 inches. Increased the size to decrease the harvest. You wouldn't believe how many I throw back that are over 2 3\4 inches but under 2 7\8 inches. it was probably a good move for the fishery.
@@Acemechanicalservices I catch clawless stone crabs all the time. Every day I catch many. They're healthy as can be and feeding up a storm. You realize they drop their own claws when in a fight, don't you? It's a natural thing with stone crabs. If you stick a knife in their first joint from the body, the crab breaks its own arm off at the body.
Except that, depending on how the claw/s are harvested and if one or both are taken somewhere between 23% to 81% of the crabs do not live past their next molt to regrow the claw/s that were harvested.
Yet recreational tags aren't a problem.My wife and I both have a few traps. 5 per person are allowed and 1 gallon of claws per day per crabber or 2 gallons per boat if more than 1 person is licensed. I've been both a commercial and recreational fisherman in New York and the biggest threat is the recreational fisherman from what I have witnessed over the years.
@@reedthefishmonger the cost and dedication to keep a business running needs to be worth it. I build cabinet doors. My work requires an entire shop filled with expensive machinery. It's funny when people complain about the cost of a door and say they could do it themselves but just don't have the time.
Figure $250k-300k for a decent used boat, plus licenses, registration, permits, fuel, storage, employee pay, traps, bait... the list goes on.. takes $ to make $$$
@@JRJStacksCorrect! If there’s no ROI you’re wasting your time. It takes an average of 90 labor hours to operate my seafood market any given day. Much of that is skilled labor. Not factoring up front cost for machines, rent, etc
The crabs caught and released have 12% mortality rate, with one claw removed it’s 20-60% and with two removed 50-80%. I guess it’s technically better than 100% death rate but it’s hard to say there’s no effect on the crabs
Stone Crab is good, but it doesn't taste near as good as Blue Crab. Blue Crab are more difficult to get the meat out of, but it is better. In Texas, we can catch Blue Crab easily. We catch some Stone Crab, but they are more of a bonus you catch every now and then.
The claws do not regenerate to a harvestable size on the next molt. It takes an average of 18 months or about 3-5 molts to regrow the claw to legal size. The speed at which the claw grows depends on food acquisition and the quality of that food, so if both claws are taken then they acquire lower quality food more slowly and thus grow slower. This of course assumes they survive being preyed upon due to not having any claws for defense. Sustainable? That is being debated. A crab that grows slower will also produce fewer offspring therefore decreasing the survival rate of the mature crabs and decrease reproductive rates of those that do survive is not sound like a sustainable practice.
@@reedthefishmonger So I would like to respond first by saying that I love your content and I think you do a great job of engaging and educating people about critical issues involving our fisheries. That being said, I didn't say you did. You did say that the claw would regenerate when it molts. You are technically right and I apologize for not pointing that out in my initial reply. The average person would hear what you did say and think the claw is completely regenerated after one molt. I just added some clarifying information and some additional information about the challenges facing this fishery. I hope you had a great New Year Day as well. I look forward to more of your content. Best wishes.
They grow back so it's not so bad, most animals and fish we catch to eat we kill outright, so this is better. The researchers found that 12.8% of crabs died when no claws were removed, when one claw was removed properly, 23-59% died, when two claws were removed properly 46-82% died
no they are forfeited and not re-issued to anyone else. The authorities want the total allowable catch (TAC) reduced. So year by year the permitted tonnage is reducing.
Data show that if you take both claws, there’s a 60% chance the crab will die before it regenerates and 40% if you take one claw. Overall, 13% of them die just from being handled. University of Florida.
They eat algae, sea grass, and worms. After their next molt their claws come back. Most crabs don’t have two claws that are big enough to harvest at once either so many keep one. Much much better than killing the whole crab just for claws.
I've never understood the demand or the price. Stone crab claws aren't really that good and they're more shell than meat. For my money, I'd much rather have Alaskan red king crab legs.
What’s your opinion? Are Stone Crab Claws worth the price tag!?
Lovem, I always order a couple times throughout the holidays down from the keys! One of my favs!
@@fame0095Once you get a taste it’s hard not to!
I've tried them a few times and don't understand the price. They just don't pack the flavor that a good King Crab does to me.
No way
To me no, they have a bitter after taste, much rather have the blues
When I was a kid, my dad would drop cinder blocks in the ICW and mark them with his LORAN. When we would go back to them, they would be loaded with stone crabs...we always had a good supply of crab claws
Sounds like you had a killer childhood! Thank you for watching and sharing your story!
How do cinder blocks catch stone crabs?
.
@@randyvfromtheperch
It is like a crab hotel. It gives them structure to 'hide' You just have to dive down a grab the crabs, my dad would take their claws in the spot.
@@randyvfromtheperchIt provides a home for the crab
@@randyvfromtheperch
Some people said it before me, but stone crabs love cover! At my local beach, I can find blue crab and stone crabs.
The beach has a few major habitats. Mangrove, rocks, seagrass and algae beds, and sand flats.
Blue crabs don't really care. I've found them amongst the rocks, out in the mangroves, roving the sand flats, and the seagrass meadows.
You'll pretty much only see stone crabs amongst the rocks. They're called stone crabs for a reason!
Nobody needs your support more than the fisher-folks that provide for America. Thank you for your informative videos. They are always on point and on time! Much respect!
Captain clay and sons harvests nothing but the best!!! You are guaranteed to bring your family a delicious bounty!
Thank you so much!! 🙏🙌
I love Stone Crab claws, but I didn't realize you could take both claws, something about that is just wrong.
As opposed to most fished creatures that are harvested entirely?
I only took the large claw when i caught them. When i was a kid we would bring in a couple of bushels a day while fishing blue crabs.
@@leonardmulrooney3806, that's not really a valid argument. Given the high percentage of stone crabs that die after their claws are removed. Taking both claws is basically a death sentence for the crab.
@@richardneilan2392 You're wrong. I catch many many many stone crabs that have been completely healed up and are in my traps feeding. I take both claws all the time and don't regret it for a minute.
GREAT video, well written narration, you are well spoken.
Thank you so much! 🙏
Your videos are a staple in the fishing community Reed, we love what you do!
Thank you so much!! 🙏
Between 23%-81%, depending on if both claws are removed or not, die before the end of the molt. Which sounds like a lot, and it is, however before this they were nearly wiped out in Florida and doing this has saved the fishery.
Yeah it’s a better than the 0% survival rate of other harvesting methods but it’s stretch to call it sustainable. The crab populations still need to be monitored and managed to prevent over harvesting.
20% to 50ish one claw 40% to 80ish removing both claws. Taking one makes more sustainable sense.
@@MrCleenaI agree, but they would be even more expensive if the commercial guys could only take one per crab.
Best video yet! Very informative, first time seeing an actual stone crab harvest keep up the hard work!
Thank you for watching! 🙏🙌
Great download. Very informative, currently saving my money to buy a bushel. Your enthusiasm is infective. Thanx.
Thank you for watching!
@Phillip Pahinui, I was friends with the sons and grandsons of the late, great, Gabby Pahinui of Slack-key guitar fame on Oahu. That name isn’t very common so I’m guessing you’re part of the ohana as well? 🤙🏼
Awesome video...Im a native floridian and always wondered why the claws were so expensive...Amazing 👍🏽
Excellent video Reed, it is crazy how expensive things are getting but it's alot of work vs reward, that's why to many mom n pop places don't survive and that's sad.
Thank you for watching brotha! Definitely a tough risk reward balance. Have a killer day!
Great episode Reed, good to see an industry looking out for future generations who will follow. Thank you 🤩
Thank you for watching brotha!
I'm on the west coast and love our stone crab claws. There's some really sweet spots for them. And even sweeter eating the day they're caught.
love your regular "how to" episodes but this is nice as well!
Thank you for the feedback! Have a killer day!
Oh man, when I lived in the Gulf, Destin FL, every Thanksgiving we would get 2 massive bags of Stone Crab Claws and several bushels of Oysters. We would eat them smoked and the oysters raw with some Tabasco sauce and lime. We often had flounder and mullet as well that we harvested ourselves. I moved to Arizona back in 2010 and Thanksgiving just isn't the same anymore. 😢 I miss seafood so much!!
Oh and Thanksgiving is.... Well today, but when I wake up in the morning😢😅. Ugh, go figure this video would be suggested lol.
As usual an amazing and informative video. Thanks.
Thank you for watching! 🙏
Always great content ,excellent production,love your stuff reed!enjoy the vuds and also learn something i can use in my daily life.keep them coming!hey you eat barnacles just a thought.
Thank you for the feedback brotha! When they’re back in season we’ll definitely be doing a barnacle video! 🙌
Always enjoy your videos Reed. I learn a lot about things I thought I already knew a lot about. And you're a likeable fellow, not everyone has the personality to talk to a camera like they're talking to a friend. Looking forward to whatever you have in store next! Thanks and take care out there.
My wife and I treated ourselves to Stone crab on our 20th anniversary in 2021, I love crab, but I just don’t think it’s worth the money. And now learning what the survival rate of the crabs is after the loss of clause reduces my desire to ever try them again.
Try steamed Blue crabs
I'm in New Hampshire, my brother is a lobsterman. I like helping him pull cages. Must be nice to be warm while fishing!
NH representing! This channel is awesome… I’m a seafood lover and feel fortunate to live on the New England coast where we have some of the best seafood in the world…. but stone crab claws are outstanding too! I used to oyster in Great Bay out of a boat with my 16’ tongs.
@@festerofest4374 Thanks, brother.
We think the same thing “must be nice to have some cool weather” 😂
As a kid in the 1970s I sometimes helped my best friend and his dad pull their lobster pots in Long island sound. It's hard, wet, smelly and often cold work, and it beats the heck out of your hands and your back, as well as your clothes. There was a big lobster die off in the 1990s in the Sound however and the population has never really come back.
I grew up on the crab boats my dad and grandfather were crabbers outta Cortez just outside of anna maria island in florida they also did net fishing till the ban we had blue crab all the time in when in season we would get stone crab as well my dad worked his butt off for those crabs but that's how he paid the bills it was a pretty tough life
Loving your videos, very insightful 😮
Thank you for watching! 🙏
Here in Sonoma county Ca out in Marshall theres a place called Tony's where I got a platter loaded with the sweetest stone crab claws for a song. They were delicious.
I live on the central Florida gulf coast. I've been harvesting these crabs just for a hobby. Just for fun. I've always gone home with tons of claws.
Thanks Guys
Thank you for watching! 🙏
You gotta try the Aussie Mudcrab buddy
I would love to!
What about those humongous coconut crabs from the South Pacific, are they edible?
@@goodun2974 the locals don't seem to even attempt to eat them. I lived on one of the Pacific Islands for a few years and the locals just ignore them.
Awesome video! What an amazing sustainable fishery we have here.
Thank you for watching! 🙏
Thanks for the video, any chance you can do one on rock shrimp, I used to work for a fish monguer back in the day stuff from The Gulf an Atlantic tops
Awesome! Very informative.
Thank you for watching! 🙌
Makes the buffets in Las Vegas seem like THAT much more of a deal!! YUM!!
Reed you need to do a video about the Knives you use.
Absolutely will! Thank you for the recommendation!
excellent video on where our food comes from.....on my first trip to Islamorada I noticed some traps set from the motel pier and then met someone from Long Island working there for a short time who already had a scar on his hand from not being careful enough handling these crabs....funny thing I have no problem handling cudas & bluefish (toothy) but not very brave handling a full size crab because the claws are a horror movie for me
Interesting. These are fairly cheap for shellfish in Spain, much cheaper than the spider crab for instance, but the whole crab is sold and honestly most of the time it is indeed the claws are the only good thing, the rest of the meat lacks taste and consistency. Sometimes the head is pretty good though, especially if it contains red "corals"
Reed, do you have videos on how to properly prep skate/stingray, and fluke/flounder?
Admittedly the chances of the stone crab surviving after the claw removal isn't great.
The researchers found that 12.8% of crabs died when no claws were removed, when one claw was removed properly, 23-59% died, when two claws were removed properly 46-82% died.
They can't really protect themselves without claws, still better than 100% death of just taking the whole crab I guess. Plus they can continue to reproduce if they're lucky and the shock doesn't make stressed.
Adam Ragusea made a video about fishing industry, anyone interested in a bit more could check that out.
Most crabs only have one claw legal size anyway. So the minority of crab harvested have both claws pulled then up to half of all of those survive. It’s pretty incredible!
@@reedthefishmonger when you put it that way, yeah it's pretty good
Can't take a leg off a cow and wait for it to regrow.
Glad you mentioned that with numbers, was going to say simular without it, but your answer was better.
Want to be able to keep harvesting the crops while they are alive then have zero crabs because they were eaten by prededers.
@@notfunny3397 ever tried?
It would actually make a lot more sense if you were only allowed to take one claw from each crab regardless of size. That way their chances of surviving would be much higher and there would be more of them surviving to reproduce each year. a 10% difference is pretty high after all, but I guess what really matters is what percentage of the crab population is actually being caught each year.
Great video!
Thank you for watching brotha!
I do national seafood sales, crazy amounts of stones this year, never seen so many and how cheap. With Helene and Milton right before season started, never expected this many.
Really enjoy your videos!!
wish you had gone in to how they process, cook the crabs, how long till they can be cooked, etc. Great video as always though
Awesome video! Your investment in your industry is inspiring!
Does claw harvest work with other crustaceans, like Maine Lobster? I have seen some without one claw, but I imagine most with one claw do not make it to the local lobster pound.
I gots to get me to Florida for some proper seafood. For a splurge, I'm fine with dropping some cash for Stone Crab claws. Plus the bib and hammer schtick is great fun in a group. 🙂
Come on down! Prices actually just came down too. Opening season was a little high 🤙
So I'm pulling my first stone crab traps this week and I've been trying to research what is the best way to hold the claws on your boat until you get home to cook them. I have read to NOT put them on ice. It looks like in the video they were filling a bin of claws with salt water. Did they leave the claws in the salt water until they got to the dock or were they just rinsing them off? If they just left them in the saltwater I was thinking my live-well would be a good place to hold the claws.
Livewell is fine.
Do not ice! Bucket of ocean water in the shade. Good luck on your pull!
@@reedthefishmonger Got 3 legal claws, one was a jumbo. I was pleased with that being brand new traps that were lightly baited. Fully baited them and put out 5 more. The claws will be a great appetizer tonight. Thanks for the advice.
Admittedly, they are good. However, after I did a weight test, (shell/meat) it turned out that only 21% of the weight is edible. So with that in mind, Dunginess and King are just as good and more meat for the money...
Being a recreational fisherman, ocean fishing, crabbing, spiny lobster (when in season) makes me appreciate what the owner/operator commercial men and women do and deal with. There are some seafood I just can't afford except for maybe one occasion per year, but I don't complain about the prices.
Love the compassion brotha! I’ve heard many people say fishing is the most expensive free meal 😂
Great video!
Thank you for watching! 🙏
They are freaking good. Grew up on BPK.
Lady May - "she may run, she may not" lol
The more that government entities squeeze out the legal fishermen businesses the more they drive up the poachers and illegal over-harvesters. BTW, that sunrise was a knockout!
Captain Ryan looks like he really didn’t gaf about the size as long as he pays the bills and takes care of his family lol. 😂😂 narrator was cappin
Aaron @keywestwaterman covers both recreational and commercial stone crab harvesting. the claws pop off naturally as a defense mechanism, so it's not a traumatic event.
That was very educational
I’m a young person who wants to do this. What are your tips on getting started?
Live near where boats are, and talk to the captains and ask for a job as crew.
@ sorry for not being specific! I meant tips on becoming a fishmonger! Thanks for the comment
@charliebrody6731 OK, then the answer is; Get a job at a fish market and learn and become expert in your trade.
I have harvested stone crabs in Texas and Jekyll Island, GA. There are more places that have these than just the places you named.
You can find them all the way up to the Carolinas but the commercial market is non existent in those areas.
I worked at triple m seafood in south Florida in 92-93 i eat them for breakfast everyday available
Everything like this is hard work. They do taste good, but getting too expensive for me
I don’t blame you brotha, I get boat prices and I still only eat them a few times a year. Especially sense my wife can eat a few pounds a sitting 😂
Special splurge for our family!
use to be able to get a bag of them with about 20 claws for around 25-30 dollars...
Fascinating. I wonder where they came up with 2 7.8 inches ?
Until a couple years ago, it was 2 3\4 inches. Increased the size to decrease the harvest. You wouldn't believe how many I throw back that are over 2 3\4 inches but under 2 7\8 inches. it was probably a good move for the fishery.
How long before their claws regenerate 4:35 4:38
the fact he took both the claws off of the crab is outrageous, death sentence at that point
Every other fishery takes the entire fish. At least theirs a chance.
@@Acemechanicalservices I catch clawless stone crabs all the time. Every day I catch many. They're healthy as can be and feeding up a storm. You realize they drop their own claws when in a fight, don't you? It's a natural thing with stone crabs. If you stick a knife in their first joint from the body, the crab breaks its own arm off at the body.
Except that, depending on how the claw/s are harvested and if one or both are taken somewhere between 23% to 81% of the crabs do not live past their next molt to regrow the claw/s that were harvested.
40% meat yield on stone crab claws,
at $30 per pound that comes out to $75 per pound for the meat
Only. For the.most. wealthiest. All others. Forget. It. ❤❤❤
I wanna see the cook! 😉
Would Ryan sell his claws direct to customers? I know a guy that sells jumbo claws for like $35lb. if I buy 10lb or more
35 is below what I pay direct to boats buying 40+ lbs of each side every day 😅
@@reedthefishmonger Wow. Thanks!
Yet recreational tags aren't a problem.My wife and I both have a few traps. 5 per person are allowed and 1 gallon of claws per day per crabber or 2 gallons per boat if more than 1 person is licensed. I've been both a commercial and recreational fisherman in New York and the biggest threat is the recreational fisherman from what I have witnessed over the years.
What's the price tag on the boat?
Not sure, he did have to replace the engine just before season and that alone was 60K.
@@reedthefishmonger the cost and dedication to keep a business running needs to be worth it. I build cabinet doors. My work requires an entire shop filled with expensive machinery. It's funny when people complain about the cost of a door and say they could do it themselves but just don't have the time.
@@JRJStacks I've just got home gamer tier woodworking tools, and it's still thousands of dollars. People are freaking crazy man.
Figure $250k-300k for a decent used boat, plus licenses, registration, permits, fuel, storage, employee pay, traps, bait... the list goes on.. takes $ to make $$$
@@JRJStacksCorrect! If there’s no ROI you’re wasting your time. It takes an average of 90 labor hours to operate my seafood market any given day. Much of that is skilled labor. Not factoring up front cost for machines, rent, etc
Ogo, biggest jobs 👍👍👍
How do Stone crab claws compare to Jonah crab claws?
Meatier and sweeter. Jonah Claws are great though!
nice piece.
The crabs caught and released have 12% mortality rate, with one claw removed it’s 20-60% and with two removed 50-80%. I guess it’s technically better than 100% death rate but it’s hard to say there’s no effect on the crabs
Does it put the crab at risk of not being able to defend itself from predators when the claws are harvested?
Absolutely. Most crabs only have one legal sized claw at a time though
Stone Crab is good, but it doesn't taste near as good as Blue Crab. Blue Crab are more difficult to get the meat out of, but it is better. In Texas, we can catch Blue Crab easily. We catch some Stone Crab, but they are more of a bonus you catch every now and then.
they used to be cheap here in michigan...
I trapped a stone crab in Georgia whose claw was the size of a soda can. It tasted wonderful.
All about fuel prices
Big factor
I crab here in NC and I caught about 10-12 stone crabs this year!
Why did this get removed before? Gore?
Minor technical error we had to fix!
maybe you said this in the video and i just missed it but, why take one leg and throw crab back in water? Thanks
Stone crabs are priced what the market bears
Can they be farmed?
I don’t know if anyone has tried. I imagine the space needed would be spectacular
Red jumbo King for me-
I’m wondering why stone crabbing isn’t done by aquaculture like other seafood.
my shellfish allergy kicked in around my late 20's. I'm bitter and spiteful.
The claws do not regenerate to a harvestable size on the next molt. It takes an average of 18 months or about 3-5 molts to regrow the claw to legal size. The speed at which the claw grows depends on food acquisition and the quality of that food, so if both claws are taken then they acquire lower quality food more slowly and thus grow slower. This of course assumes they survive being preyed upon due to not having any claws for defense. Sustainable? That is being debated. A crab that grows slower will also produce fewer offspring therefore decreasing the survival rate of the mature crabs and decrease reproductive rates of those that do survive is not sound like a sustainable practice.
I did not say they are harvestable size immediately after growing back. Hope you have a great New Years Day!
@@reedthefishmonger So I would like to respond first by saying that I love your content and I think you do a great job of engaging and educating people about critical issues involving our fisheries. That being said, I didn't say you did. You did say that the claw would regenerate when it molts. You are technically right and I apologize for not pointing that out in my initial reply. The average person would hear what you did say and think the claw is completely regenerated after one molt. I just added some clarifying information and some additional information about the challenges facing this fishery. I hope you had a great New Year Day as well. I look forward to more of your content. Best wishes.
Imagine getting your arms took off
and then imagine them growing back in a few weeks....
Yeah I'm no expert but I gotta believe a crab without claws isn't gonna last long ☹️
They come back after their next molt. Not all make it but many do!
They grow back so it's not so bad, most animals and fish we catch to eat we kill outright, so this is better.
The researchers found that 12.8% of crabs died when no claws were removed, when one claw was removed properly, 23-59% died, when two claws were removed properly 46-82% died
Next time you feel you're "not an expert but.." just stop there.
Im sorry, i understand it has alot going into it but im not about to spend $70 on 4 claws.
About the same price as Jumbo King Crab 🤯
$40 on the shells.
Returning 15% of those tags just means they go to commercial boats?
no they are forfeited and not re-issued to anyone else. The authorities want the total allowable catch (TAC) reduced. So year by year the permitted tonnage is reducing.
was gonna say 300-400 dollars and then he said 2k... dayum... I wouldn't even spend 200 for that much
40lbs of jumbo stone crab claws brotha! $200 would be five bucks a pound. You’d have to go back 50 years to get those prices 😅
The hype and demand drive the price. If no one cared about stone crabs, what would happen?
Data show that if you take both claws, there’s a 60% chance the crab will die before it regenerates and 40% if you take one claw. Overall, 13% of them die just from being handled. University of Florida.
Con que se defienden con que comen si se les arranca las dos
They eat algae, sea grass, and worms. After their next molt their claws come back. Most crabs don’t have two claws that are big enough to harvest at once either so many keep one. Much much better than killing the whole crab just for claws.
Never pay those prices
I've never understood the demand or the price. Stone crab claws aren't really that good and they're more shell than meat. For my money, I'd much rather have Alaskan red king crab legs.
Agreed.
I just purchased a 5lb bag medium size for $40..
Market dropped from opening season. Wholesale price direct from boats is now just over $20 a pound. Sounds like you got a bag of floaters
@ I live in Ga..
$1700 worth of shells.
Yet, there's obviously a demand !
Not my favorite tasting crabs, they have a bitter aftertaste, much rather have the blues
That’s not my experience but to each their own! Thank you for watching!
Dungeness
Idgaf how expensive they are....I'm going to eat my weight in these things.
That’s what I’m talking about! 🙌
Living in NJ, I'll stick with catching my blue claws. But I won't mind buying some claws and trying them out.