From the Boat

St. Petersburg, FL · Owner-operator · Licensed commercial fisherman

My name's Kyle Franklin, and Frank's Stone Crab is me, my boat, and the water I've worked my whole life.

I hold my own commercial fishing license and run my own boat out of St. Petersburg, on Tampa Bay. When the season opens, I set my traps, pull my claws, and bring them straight in — no broker, no distributor, no warehouse in between.

That direct line is the point. Home cooks around the bay get fresher, better-priced claws than a restaurant or grocery counter, and they get to know the person who caught them. Premium and international buyers get wild-caught, sustainably-harvested provenance they can actually trace back to one fisherman and one stretch of Gulf.

It also means I carry floaters — the fresh new-shell claws most restaurants pass on. I sell them because I know what they are and I know who'll appreciate them.

The Practice

Only the claws are taken. The crab goes back to the water.

Stone crabs regrow harvested claws. Worked responsibly, that makes for a genuinely renewable fishery: I take a claw, return the live crab to the Gulf, and it grows the claw back to be caught again in a future season.

It's a checkable, real practice — not a marketing line — and it's why buyers sourcing at volume, here and abroad, can order from Frank's with a clear conscience. The catch keeps coming because the crabs keep living.

Calm shallow turquoise Gulf water at golden hour

From the waterfront — Tampa Bay light, dock, and water.

Calm Gulf water at golden hour
Sun-bleached weathered dock planking
Coiled fishing rope on a weathered dock cleat
Tampa Bay mangrove shoreline silhouette at dusk

Volume & Wholesale Inquiry

Sourcing at volume for a restaurant, market, or export? Tell Kyle what you need and he'll follow up directly.