October 5, 2022 — While the damage may not visible from land, the wind and waves from Hurricane Ian destroyed and damaged thousands of spiny lobster traps off the Florida Keys.
The storm came about a week before commercial fishermen will start soaking their stone crab traps. Commercial fishermen are allowed to start soaking their stone crab traps Wednesday, Oct. 5. Commercial fishermen can start soaking their traps 10 days before their first pull.
Lower Keys-based trap fisherman Josh Nicklaus said he has lost between 600 to 800 of his spiny lobster traps. Nicklaus placed traps in the waters in Marquesas Keys to the waters off Snipe Point, he said. The bulk of his lost and destroyed traps were oceanside, west of Key West, he said.
“At a time when we should be preparing for stone crab season, we are running around looking for crawfish (lobster) traps,” said Nicklaus, president of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association.