CRUSTACEAN ANATOMY
Crustaceans like the spiny lobster and stone crab have three distinct body parts: head, thorax and abdomen. The head has two pairs of antennae, a pair of eyes and three pairs of mouthparts. The appendages attach to the thorax and the gills are located there as well. They are protected by a tough exoskeleton which must be shed to allow the animal to grow. Both the crab and lobster have a carapace which is a thick dorsal shield that also helps protect the animal; the carapace usually covers the thorax segment of the animal.

CLAWING AROUND
Stone Crabs have two large claws, the larger of the two is called the ‘crusher claw’ while the smaller one is called the ‘pincher claw’. Stone Crabs have the special ability of regenerating their large claws. This characteristic enables them to lose their limbs easily in order to escape from predators or from tight crevices. When a claw is broken in the correct spot, the wound will heal itself quickly with little blood loss. But if the claw is broken in the wrong spot, the blood loss is significant and the crab may not survive . For a mature crab it takes about three molts or the equivalent of three years for the claw to grow back to a legal size. The time of re-growth can be longer or shorter depending on the size and age of the crab. 

GONE FISHIN'
There are two spiny lobster fishing seasons throughout the year. The first is the two-day mini-season which occurs during the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday of July each year. The regular season, which is open to recreational and commercial fishermen, runs from August 6 to March 31. Typically, 1.5 to 2 million pounds of lobster will be harvested by the recreational fishermen. The commercial fishermen harvest an average of 6 million pounds per season, with an average value of $20 million.

There are strict regulations in place to protect stone crabs because of the over-fishing that occurred in the 1960s. They are available for harvest from October 15 until May 15 only. The claws can be taken from the crab, but it must be returned to the water to allow for the regeneration of another claw. The claws must be 2.75 inches long to be taken from the crab.

Resources for this article have been provided by Wikipedia, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.