Small harvest leaves Florida stone crabbers in a pinch

There is one more victim of the red tide outbreak that plagued Florida’s Gulf Coast last year. This season’s stone crab harvest is among the state's lowest, according to seafood industry experts.

Estimates show only 1.9 million pounds were collected during the season, reports NationalFisherman.com.

The season ran from Oct. 15, 2018 to May 15, 2019. An average season ranges between 2.5 and 3.2 million pounds.

According to Bill Kelly, the executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association, red tide is to blame.

The algae bloom cut off oxygen to the seafloor in Florida’s southern waters, forcing the crabs to move to other areas in search of better conditions.

"Stone crabs are typical burrowing animals, we affectionately call them ditch diggers, and they didn't have any mud to dig a ditch, and so they had to move on,” said Kelly.