Mandurah's famous crab fishery open for action
Get cracking in this world-first certified sustainable blue-swimmer crab fisheryWA Fisheries officers say they will be watching closely to ensure the rules are followed during the opening of Mandurah's famous crabbing season from November 1, 2016 to August 31, 2017.
The Peel-Harvey crab fisheries are the first in the world to receive a joint Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-tick for both the recreational and commercial fisheries. Crabs are harvested by net and scoop.
The MSC certification means that the Department of Fisheries' management, compliance and research efforts supporting these fisheries are in line with the global gold standard.
The bag limit is 10 blue swimmers per person, 20 per boat in total, and crabs must only be caught by hand or using hand-held wire or plastic scoop nets, drop nets or hand-held blunt wire hooks. See the full crab fishing guide in the link at the bottom of this story.
WA Fisheries Minister Joe Francis has urged crab fishers to do the right thing when Mandurah's blue swimmer crab fisheries reopens after the seasonal closure and some cold weather.
"Recfishwest and the Mandurah Licensed Fisherman's Association can be rightly proud of what they have achieved for the community by ensuring the fisheries continue to be sustainable.
"With the season opening tomorrow, recreational fishers can play their part in keeping the fisheries sustainable by sticking to the rules.
"I'm sure most crab fishers will do the right thing, but Fisheries and Marine Officers will be cracking down on anyone who doesn't, and the penalties can be severe. Recently, a fisher was fined more than $5000 for taking undersize crabs."
The Minister said environmental conditions, including the recent cold and wet weather, meant many crabs that fishers came across in coming weeks would probably be undersized.
"In the early part of the season, it may take recreational fishers a little longer to gather a feed of legal-size blue swimmers and I urge fishers to measure their crabs carefully," the Minister said.
"The minimum legal size is 127mm and any undersize crabs must be returned to the water immediately and unharmed, so they can be left to grow and moult as the weather warms up."
Department of Fisheries compliance and education officers will hand out free crab gauges to recreational fishers at many popular Peel-Harvey crabbing locations. View the multilingual guide Crabbing for Blue Swimmer Crabs.
Photo credit: RecfishWest.
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