Colossals Keeping Crabbers Busy

The stone crab family at Goodland’s Kirk Fish Company has seen a lot of stone crab seasons come and go. So, when they see so many colossal crab claws so early, they know this is likely to be a strong season.

"Sometimes that fluctuates as we see different cold fronts move through and things change,” said Kelly Kirk, one of the owners of the longtime family-owned business. "But if it starts really strong, it's a good indicator that we're going to have a strong season. Sometimes we start slow and it builds into a strong season. But if it starts strong right out of the gate, then we're confident it's going to be a good season for the fishermen. We're seeing really healthy crabs. We're seeing a lot of crabs. And we're seeing a lot of really big crabs, which is a good thing.”

Florida stone crab season occurs between October 15 and May 1.

Kirk speaks with reverence about two things: the fishermen and the crabs. The fishermen at Kirk Fish are like family. And the stone crabs—and their survival—are what bring the family together. Only the claws of the stone crab are harvested. The crab is returned to the water where it regenerates its claws.

"You know, we're very fortunate,” Kirk said. “Stone crabs are a sustainable species. We're not killing them. We're able to harvest for many years and it's important to us. It puts food on our tables and we're very proud to be in this industry, and we want to pass that along to all of the people that like to enjoy stone crabs.”

In the first week of stone crab season, Kirk has seen a large number of the largest claws, called colossals. She said colossals are coveted by stone crab aficionados.

"We've got a lot and they're catching a lot of them,” she said. "We're really happy for the fishermen. We're really excited for this season. A lot of times when we don't have the big claws, people want the big ones. People like the big ones. So I'm excited that more people will get to experience the big claws this year. We're seeing a whole new generation of crabs. It's exciting to see that kind of new growth, because those colossal claws aren't crabs that we harvested last year. Those are crabs that have not been harvested for several years and have not been in the market for several years."

Kirk said it takes a while to grow colossal claws.

“Those crabs came from somewhere we didn't know of, which is exciting,” she said. “As educated and knowing as we are about our waterways and the depths of the ocean, and what happens with weather and cold fronts and crab patterns and just the crabs themselves, there's a lot we don't know. And what's very cool about stone crabs is we learn more every year. Just when we think we've got it figured out, they prove us wrong."

Kirk feels fortunate to have strong crab fishermen at Kirk Fish. The number of boats at Kirk's grows later in the fall.

"Once the kingfish season starts,” she said, "which is the king mackerel run, we will inherit five or more boats than we have now. Right now they're all in either Alabama, Louisiana, or Apalachicola. They'll be here soon, and then we'll have full docks. And that's exciting times. We’ll have full coolers and full boats, and there's a lot going on. Most of the boats get here around Thanksgiving time. I have four full-time stone crabbers right now. It fluctuates. Sometimes people move into the industry, sometimes people move out. The four that we have working with us right now, they're like our family, and we're grateful to have them. And even the one that's kind of new to the game on his own grew up on a stone crab boat. It's his first year running his own boat, so it's exciting."

There are four crab boats at the Kirk Fish docks, captained by Bill Pilger, Craig Kerekes, Daniel Doxsee, and Tyler Few, 36, the young boat owner Kirk refers to.

“Tyler grew up in the industry like I did,” Kirk said. “He's not new to it by any means. Commercial fishing is such a family and community event that you just have to want to do right by the crab. You have to want to do right by the commercial fishermen that you work around. And that's what makes you successful. We make sure we don't take claws from egg-bearing females because we know that those females are able to repopulate if we don't take their claw. If we take a claw, then that encourages them to drop their egg sac. And we don't want them to do that prematurely. We want them to keep that egg sac and then drop it when it's mature and continue to repopulate. We don't take undersized claws. Obviously, we want those crabs to grow.

“To be a good crabber, you just have to want it,” she said. “And you have to want to preserve the species. You have to be committed to it and devoted to it. We have all ranges of fishermen right now. We've got some that are new to the industry on their own, and we've got some that have been doing it their entire lives. One of my fishermen just turned 82 yesterday. He's been fishing his entire adult life. And he's probably one of the oldest in the commercial stone crab fleet, and he's still hard after it every day.”

That 82-year-old crabber is Pilger. Crabbers tend to be young and wiry. Throwing around 50-pound crab traps makes those qualities valuable to a crabber. That’s what makes Pilger an anomaly.

"I was young and wiry at one time, too,” said Pilger, who looks like he’s in his 60s. “But over the years, things seem to change. People always ask me, ‘When are you going to retire?' I simply tell them, ‘Listen, I've been retired my whole life. I do what I love to do.’ As long as I can keep going, I'm going to. Being out on the water and the fresh air and everything, I think it's made a big difference in my life. Being on the water all the time, the air doesn't get much cleaner."

Pilger said he never dreads a day of hard work on the water. It’s actually quite the opposite.

"I don't know what it would be like to just sit around and do nothing,” Pilger said. "I don't sleep over five hours a day, I never have. I'm up at 3:30 in the morning. I'm up whether I'm going out or not. Doesn't make any difference. I'm up. My brain's up and it's running 90 miles an hour. I'm always ready to get up and go. Get out there and see that sunrise coming up on the way out. "

Sunrise is one of the magical parts of stone crabbing. Much of crabbing is plain hard work.

“Stone crabbing is definitely a lot of work,” Pilger admits. "There's no question about that. But, you know, it's what we do. I'm in my twilight years. I don't leave at 3:30 in the morning like Daniel. I used to back in the day when I started in the Keys in Marathon in 1968. I fished there until 2003. That was when I moved up here and came to work with Kirk Fish. And I've been here with Kirk ever since. This is the stone crab capital right here. I mean, there's no question about that. This is it. This is where they are, where they come from."

Pilger was once the top dog at the crab docks. He says the torch has passed. And he couldn’t be prouder.

“This is the man right here,” Pilger said, motioning toward Doxsee, whose boat, Endangered Species, is docked right next to his. "He's the producer nowadays. He grew up in it. He's born into it. No question about it. It's definitely in his blood. He's the man. He puts ‘em on the dock. That's for sure. I just kind of go out and do my thing and do what I can do, and I'm happy with that. And that's it. But, you know, as far as the real production here at Kirk Fish, it's Endangered Species, Daniel, that's it."

Pilger remembers when he was the top producer and Doxsee was the up-and-comer.

“Actually, he worked with me on the back of my boat when he was coming up,” Pilger said proudly. "That's a fact. I had him and his dad, both. His dad was the veteran of the veterans. Right from the beginning. No question about it. This guy's born and raised in it.”

Doxsee’s family has a long history on Marco Island. The famous Doxsee Clam Factory operated on Marco Island from 1911 to 1947. Five generations of the Doxsee family worked at the cannery.

For his part, Doxsee hasn’t seen many crabbers work into their 80s, like Pilger is doing.

"Maybe one or two,” Doxsee said, “back when I was young. Bill will probably make it to 100. I'm telling you, he's in good shape for his age.”

Pilger is proud of how Doxsee has built his business.

"I'm proud of him, sure,” Pilger said. "He did it his way. And he started from the bottom. He sure did. He went out and bought an old, beat-up boat. Tied it up next to me over here, tore everything off of it. By golly, he built that boat. Started out with a few hundred traps. Now he's as big as they go."

For his part, Doxsee appreciates all he's learned from Pilger.

"Yeah, we learned a lot off Bill,” Doxsee said. "Just kind of working around him and working with him and watching and learning. I don't know how he does it. I don't know if I'll ever make it to my 80s.”

Crabbing is a tough profession for tough guys.

"Yeah, most guys are pretty tough,” Doxsee said.

“You fling these traps around long enough and it builds you up,” Pilger said. "There's no question about that.”

Kirk Fish Company is the only fishery in the Goodland-Marco Island area. Like Doxsee, Kirk's family has deep roots in Collier County.

"My great great aunt was Tommie Barfield,” Kirk said. “Anyone with any knowledge of Marco Island and Collier County knows that we have some pretty deep-seated roots and ties in the community. We're very proud of where we came from and why we're here. My grandparents moved to Goodland in the late 1940s, when it was just a piece of good land for people to move to. They moved their whole house from Caxambas. It still sits across from the Little Bar. My grandfather started this business as one of the few commercial fishermen of the time. My grandfather started this in the early 1950s, and my dad became a commercial fisherman in my grandfather's footsteps. And although I'm not a commercial fisherman, I'm as close as you're going to get because I am buying it. I'm processing it. I'm very involved in the industry. I also started the Florida Stone Crab Association with Holly Dudley and Carrie Doxsee as a way to advocate for our commercial fishermen throughout the state. It's not just local to Collier County, it's all over the state. We want to make sure that we have a stone crab industry for many generations to come, and that means protecting the stone crab and protecting the stone crabbers. We're big advocates of both. Because of my ties, I've been very fortunate to take on the role as one of the directors of the Everglades Seafood Festival, along with Carrie and Holly, which has been a huge blessing, and it's been an exciting and challenging endeavor. But we're proud of it. We're excited to keep it going, and we want to continue to support the Everglades City community and our local community. The seafood festival gives back to all of our kids in the area, gives back to hurricane victims, and closest to my heart, it supports the commercial fishing industry.”