Crab season this month is plentiful in Queensland as crabbers are getting enough of seafood treasures with large catches being reported up and down the coast. It is said that the potting of mud crabs and blue swimmers are well, with some spanner crabs also being caught. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol education officer Karl Roebuck from the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries told that it was important to ensure crab pots were marked correctly at all times of the year.
According to Roebuck there’s nothing worse than someone taking other’s pots by mistake, or worse, on purpose. Pots or dillies should be properly labelled with the name and address of the owner reduces the chances of this happening. Roebuck also said that people should be aware of the number of pots they are using. He also suggested that the total number of crab pots should not exceed four per person.
He told that there are rules and regulations to ensure good crabbing and the fishers are familiar with the minimum size limits and no take restrictions for crabs. Roebuck said that female mud and blue swimmer crabs are totally protected, as are egg-bearing spanner crabs. He also inferred that the male mud crabs have a minimum size limit of 15 cm, while male blue swimmers have a minimum size limit of 11.5 cm. Spanner crabs have a minimum size limit of 10 cm.
All the fishers should comply with the rules and regulations to protect and conserve Queensland’s fish stocks. Failing to do this there will be long-term effects on stocks and to recreational and commercial fishers in the area, says Roebuck.
