Octopus trap raiders stay away, so stone crabs plentiful -- if you don't think big -

[octobot]

Octopus trap raiders stay away, so stone crabs plentiful -- if you don't think big [SIZE=-1]Naples Daily News[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By LANCE SHEARER Greg Kahn/Staff Line cook Wally Dera prepares Florida stone crab claws at Truluck's Seafood Steak & Crab House on 4th Ave South in Naples on March 26, 2012. NAPLES — There are plenty of stone crab claws being pulled from the Gulf of ...[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1][/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]and more »[/SIZE]

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[DWhatley]

Interesting. I had the feeling that O. briareus would have been plentiful (and a problem) this year. Interesting answer from the fisherman siting that they did not travel south seeking warmer waters as I would not expect O. briareus to travel a great distance.

One problem that plagued the crabbing industry last season didn't present a problem this year. In 2011, crabbers were finding their stone crab traps raided by octopi, which love the crustaceans almost as much as humans do.

"There was no problem with the octopus (this season)," said crabber Justin Grimm, manager of Grimm's Seafood in Everglades City. "We never had the cold weather, and that's what brings that on. This late in the season, we probably won't see them at all."

With little in the way of harsh winter weather this winter, the octopus apparently stayed farther north, but that's a double-edged sword, Kirk said.

"We like bad weather," she said. "When it's stirred up on the bottom, that's when the crabs come out, and get into our traps."