Can both of a stone crab's claws be harvested?
Both claws of a stone crab may be harvested lawfully if they are of legal size. Although it is currently lawful to harvest both of a stone crab's claws this practice leaves the stone crab with few alternatives to defend itself from predators. Although the crab can still obtain minimal amounts of food with no claws, having one claw (if the other one is harvested) will enable the crab to obtain greater amounts of food in a shorter amount of time. Stone crabs (like other crustaceans) have the ability to grow back their claws, but this process requires a large amount of energy in the form of food. The quicker the crab can obtain the energy required to molt and grow its lost claw, the sooner this renewable delicacy will have another claw to replace the missing claw.

Can I take claws from female stone crabs?
Yes, the legal-sized claws of female stone crabs can be harvested unless the female crabs are carrying eggs. It's against the law to take even one claw from an "ovigerous" (egg-bearing) female. The eggs are carried on the underside of the female and are held by a wide "apron" (actually the abdomen). The eggs are usually orange but occasionally red, red-brown, or brown-gray.

Can stone crabs survive after their claws are removed?
If the claws are removed correctly, a thin membrane forms over the wound and prevents bleeding. If a crab is de-clawed incorrectly (i.e., if part of the body is taken with the claw), the crab may bleed excessively or be unable to regenerate a new claw, and the likelihood that the crab will die significantly increases.

How long does it take a stone crab to regenerate a claw?
That depends on a lot of things. If the crab has been declawed some months before it molts, it will produce a new claw that's about 2/3 of the size of the original claw. Usually, adult male crabs molt in the summer, and adult female crabs molt in the fall. If the crab lost its claw just before molting, its claw will be smaller—sometimes substantially smaller. Then, each time the crab molts, the size of the regenerated claw will be closer to the size of the original claw. A legal-sized crab can regenerate a claw that is legal-sized (harvestable) in about three molts (i.e., three years). A very large crab that lost its claw can regenerate a legal-sized claw in one molt.

Where can I find more information about stone crabs?
Visit the Crustaceans and Other Marine Arthropods Section for more information.