Rising fuel costs put pressure on the start of Citrus County's stone crab season

A customer enters The Crab Plant's market in Crystal River during Florida's stone crab season. Co-owner Kelly Kofmehl said the business has kept customer prices at last year's levels despite higher operating costs.(Morgan Pravato/WUFT News)Long before the first stone crab claw hit a cooler, the work started on land. Through the summer, crews at The Crab Plant in Crystal River hauled boats out of the water, repaired traps and maintained equipment, paying those costs before the season's first catch. Florida's stone crab season opened Oct. 15, and some Citrus County businesses have had a solid start. But higher fuel costs are squeezing the chain from fishermen to retailers, and the weather can still affect how much gets caught. Florida's stone crab fishery is built around harvesting claws rather than whole crabs. Fishermen remove claws that meet legal size requirements and return the crabs to the water alive. The crabs then grow their claws back. At The Crab Plant, the season has started