Less than halfway through the season, South Florida Stone Crabs are magically disappearing.
Crab season started off plentiful, but in the past few weeks, fishermen say they have noticed their baskets are coming up empty.
Instead of stone crabs or lobsters, they're picking up barnacles.
The shortage is leaving seafood stores and restaurants short and it's causing prices to rise. Medium claws that sold for about $19 per pound last year are now going for $26.99. Large claws are pulling in $45 a pound.
Irma hit about a month before the season opened on Oct. 15, first crossing the Keys, where about 60 percent of the state’s stone crabs are caught.
Initially, crabbers were optimistic: Many had suffered damage to homes and boats but not traps. In Everglades City, the city held its annual blessing of the fleet followed by a busy day of emptying traps.