crabs

cambo · #1 30-01-2006, 12:14 PM

g'day people just got back from a fish at RPYC got into some nice breamies around 35cm. While I was fishing a couple of blokes rocked up and started unloading a LOT of crabs from their dinghy. They had all been caught in nylon fishing nets(ie not drop nets or scoops), and they must have filled about 8 plastic crates with crabs while I was fishing,upwards of 60 crabs maybe even 100 and they were still going when i left. Was just wondering if anyone knows whether this is legal or not. Are there restrictions on number of crabs able to be taken, methods etc. I can only think of two explanations, either they were raping the river on a big scale or they had some sort of commercial crabbing licens. Is there such a thing. Just enquiring because i was quite disturbed by the sheer number of crabs they had caught. :shock:

BIG PETE · #2 30-01-2006, 12:38 PM

cambo

that dont sound right to me did you get the rego of the boat fella

BIG PETE

cambo · #3 30-01-2006, 12:43 PM

yeah i plugged it into my mobile - when they noticed me doing this they put a bag over the rego - which made me think it was even more suss - might give fisheries a buzz tommorrow and check it out with them- cheers pete

cambo

cambo · #4 30-01-2006, 12:45 PM

i imagine RPYC would have a list of all the rego'd boats there so ill check with them tommorrow 2. By the snippets of conversation i heard from the blokes it sounds like they pull amounts lik ethat fairly regularly

wont be 2 many crabbies left at that rate

PMac · #5 30-01-2006, 06:15 PM

Do you mean gill nets Cambo??? Sounds a bit dodgy covering the rego though

Rosie · #6 31-01-2006, 06:17 AM

Our rivers come under the same rules as Mandurah which means that scoopers can only keep 24 each and boats with 2 or more people on them can have 48. All crabs kept must be 127mm in length accross the carapace too.

I think those numbers are right.

Noddy · #7 31-01-2006, 06:25 AM

Boat limit is only 40 now, still plenty IMO. I think scoopers can only get 20 aswell.

dognuts · #8 31-01-2006, 06:34 AM

they sound like the pro's we get down in mandurah with the nylon nets , but very suss covering rego,

Rosie · #9 31-01-2006, 06:38 AM

I wasn't sure on the limits after they changed but my fisheries sticker is old. Covering rego is realy Suss.

BIG PETE · #10 31-01-2006, 07:33 AM

i hope you rang fisheries today fella

BIG PETE

#11 04-02-2006, 07:37 AM

that you can't keep any crabs not caught in either a crab scoop or acrab net (drop net).

Pro's use large grab pots, so - people catching them in monofilament nets....basically i would suggest are breaking the law...

But again - they ain't a $$$ commercial fishery like abalone or lobsters....so not one of Fisheires enforcement officers "top priority's" in as far as enforcement.

Don't get me wrong - they will ping you for a crabbing offence too right - but they won't often be OUT looking for a crabbing offence - more likely they will be doing something else, and just 'bump into' some idiot doing the wrong thing whos just begging to be caught.

Face it - even if you report them (to the telstra sheila who mans the dob in a poacher fishing line)

- does ANYONE in their right mind think Fisheries are going to pay overtime to follow these dudes around till they do it again?

Uhh uhh - ain't going to happen.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't report it tho, it DOES help identify those doing the wrong thing, and the fisheries dudes will add the details to their list of bad boys they would like to bust one day.

Cheers!