North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

http://www.news.com.au/national/norther ... 3de763fca3

What has not been explained in the story is that the Gulf of Carpentaria crab fishery is in tatters, which is where the pro crabbers normally work.

So the crabbers have moved to other areas, including Bynoe Harbour, which apparently had several licences working it at one stage, which is possibly unsustainable.

Darwin Harbour and Shoal Bay, which pro crabbers are not allowed to fish, seem to have plenty of mud crabs, despite steady recreational pressure.

So clearly it is not just about the wet seasons, it appears to be about pro crabbing pressure, with a seasonal angle. The solution would be to have a changing total allowable catch based on the seasonal availability of crabs.

I have been told that the crabs in the gulf have been "shrinking", though I have not seen the data. The theory goes that when you have a size limit on a heavily harvested stock, the crabs that survive and breed will be those that sexually mature under the size limit, and they will pass this trait on to their young.

Because crabs reach breeding age quickly it does not take long for them to adapt in this way. So our size limits are possibly creating small crabs in the areas where they are heavily harvested.

If all the available crabs were small but not sexually mature then it would not mean the same thing, it would just mean all the adults were being caught.

You have hit the nail on the head Matt. The term is recruitment over fished which is when mud crabs mature below the legal size limit and is an indication of a fishery about to collapse. This is something AFANT is going to pursue very strongly.

It never ceases to amaze me that we are shocked by the collapse of this or that fishery. humans have no filter when it comes to completely destroying a fishery.
I really think its because the fish are located underwater and out of sight of us that we just think they will last forever.

the question now is where will these pros Annihilate next. only when our local waters are affected will the average Joe stand up.