Stone crab season survives storms; fishermen thrive despite early fears

MIAMI – We are two weeks into stone crab season, and while many commercial fishermen were initially concerned that recent storms would wipe out the season, thankfully, that is not the case.
In the middle of Biscayne Bay during stone crab season, you can find many boats like this one, with fishermen trying to make a living.
Eighteen-year-old Ryan Sandow has been fishing for stone crabs with his father for more than seven years.
“Tell us about the process. Sometimes we take the traps and move them around, and other times we just leave them in and out. Now, we have two long lines. Yeah, you enjoy,” said Ryan Sandow, a fisherman.
Before the season began, Ryan and many other commercial fishermen were concerned about the outcome.
“There are a lot of different fishermen. They have a lot of traps. One day they’ll pull about 40 traps, depending on how the crabs are running. Sometimes you get a bounty; sometimes you don’t,” said Captain Joe Witte of Capt Joe’s Seafood.
Captain Joe added that fortunately, Mother Nature did not wipe out the season.
“It started off with a bang and continues to do well for us. The storm really didn’t have an effect this time around,” said Captain Joe.
The crabs are as fresh as they come, thanks to Ryan and all the other fishermen, who work more than 10 hours a day.
“Do you like to eat them?” Sandow was asked. “No, I don’t really eat them, just catch them. You don’t eat the profit,” he replied.
But before you can sink your claws into these crabs, there’s a process: they go from here to a processing plant, where they’ll be boiled, boxed, iced, and sold to local restaurants and markets within 24 hours.