Crab is the largest single species recreational fishery in Western Australia, providing a quality recreational experience.
Commercially, Blue Swimmer Crabs are a readily available resource that can be sold in existing markets.
Previous recruitment overfishing coupled with a downturn in recruitment caused by changes in environmental conditions resulted in the closure of the fishery in 2007. As the fishery is due to reopen in December 2009 there is a need to discuss alternative management arrangements to prevent further closures, via management plans underpinned by elasticity and the ability to adapt to climatic perturbations.
From an industry perspective this project will emphasize the benefits of allowing fishermen flexibility in harvesting crabs to suit market conditions. The advent of new management arrangements would remove the inherent ‘rush to fish’, a shift towards a quota by numbers system will ultimately encourage fishers to retain larger heavier crabs, increasing the value of the catch by increasing the dollar value per kg, thus, maximising the economic yield of the fishery. Promoting the take of more mature crabs will allow a greater number of individuals to remain in the system and add to the standing and breeding stock of the fishery.
The proposed initiative will encourage the sustainable development of recreational and commercial fishing through fair allocation of resources between users to achieve optimum economic, ecological and social benefits from the use of those resources, sustainability through a triple bottom line approach.