FISHERIES OF KEY WEST. 49 



traps at such times is usually insufficient to supply even local de- 

 mands. Thus it happens that at times dealers are unable to secure 

 a good supply for one or two weeks at a time. "VVliile crawfish can 

 be retained in live boxes for long periods of time, it appears that 

 dealers do not make a practice of accumulating large supplies. 



STONE CRAB. 



The Florida stone crab {Menippe mercenaria) is the only species 

 of crab that is of commercial importance in southern Florida. It 

 is found from Beaufort, N. C, to Matagorda Bay, Tex., and has 

 been recorded from Yucatan. A closely related species {M. nodl- 

 frons) is found from Cuba throughout the West Indies to Brazil, 

 with a single record from Cameron, La. 



Judging from the small numbers to be seen in the markets through- 

 out the year, the stone crab is not found in great abundance. The 

 flesh of this crab may, indeed, be considered a delicacy, and it is 

 doubtful if there is any animal caught among the Florida keys that 

 surpasses it in excellence. The fishery is pursued almost entirely 

 with traps, although a few crabs are caught by hand and with nets. 

 Stone crabs do not necessarily inhabit rocky places, and they are 

 frequentl}^ found on bottoms of sand, marl, or clay, and among 

 corals, sponges, and other bottom growths. 



These crustaceans are caught throughout the year, but the most 

 favorable fishing obtains during February, March, and April. They 

 are found rather near the shore and generally not farther than 1 

 mile from land. Very few fishermen specialize in catching crabs, 

 and most of those caught are taken incidently with crawfish. Dur- 

 ing periods of stormy weather wdien the traps are inaccessible the 

 markets are sometimes without crabs. Unlike the crawfish, stone 

 crabs are not shipped out of the State, but during the winter small 

 numbers are supplied to seaside hotels in southern Florida. 



When the weather is favorable the Key West catch varies from 

 about 10 to 50 dozens a day during the winter and spring season, 

 but no doubt more could be caught if they were more keenly sought 

 after. The estimated annual catch of crabs is recorded for the fol- 

 lowing years : 1895, 4,680 ; 1902, 8,160 ; 1918, 18,400 ; and 1919, 22,000. 



Small crabs, measuring about 3 inches in width across the carapace, 

 sell at retail for about $1 a dozen, while those 4 or more inches in 

 width bring from $1.50 to $2. The size of the claws, rather than 

 the size of the body, determines the value of the crab, for the body 

 meat is not eaten except in the very largest ones, because of the 

 tedious process of picking out the edible parts. Large crabs with 

 small claws are therefore classed with the small animals, and those 

 without claws are returned to the water without injury. It is not 

 unusual to find large crabs with claws weighing nearly half a pound 

 each. The maximum size attained by the stone crab is about 6 

 inches in width across the carapace. Since they have no large 

 lateral spines, such as the blue crab has, an individual of this size 

 with its great claws is larger than might be supposed. A crab hav- 

 ing a carapace 4.8 inches in width was found to weigh 13 ounces, 

 and one of 5.1 inches weighed 1 pound and 3 ounces. These speci- 

 mens both possessed claws of normal size. 



