Belize Opens Stone Crab Season: Here are the Rules

Belize’s stone crab season is fast-approaching! The Fisheries Department has announced that Belize’s stone crab season will officially open on October 1, 2025, and run until June 30, 2026.

Fishers and the public are being reminded to follow all the rules to protect the species and keep the industry sustainable.

Anyone planning to fish for or export stone crabs must have a licence. Those using traps need special authorisation, and traps must include a 2 3/8-inch escape gap and a biodegradable panel.

The department also stressed that crabs cannot be caught during the closed season from July 1 to September 30. Licensed fishers can set traps starting September 15 but are not to harvest any crabs.

“No person shall retain on board, transship, store, sell, display, offer for sale, buy or have in possession claws with a propodus length of less than 3 inches and the carapace or body of a stone crab,” the department added.

It added, “Any person who catches a stone crab shall release it into the sea immediately after the claw has been removed from the area it was caught.”

Fishers are also prohibited from using any device that could injure the crabs and must have a ruler or calliper on board to measure them.