North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Has there been any local reaction to the above changes?

Effectively the amended scheme has reduced the rejection options from 12 to 6 and a "no grading" box introduced.

Result is that the voluntary national standard on what should be kept or released has been watered down considerably.

In Qld, southern crabbers have moved in to areas where local commercial crabbers have been managing stocks to some degree. Releasing crabs with soft shells, missing bits sort of stuff until next time. With soft shell crabs, commercial crabber sometimes scratches an X or some other identifier on a softer shelled crab. If he gets a crab with an X on its shell he tosses it back knowing that it hasn't changed shell since marked. Basically voluntarily managing local mudcrab stocks for their benefit.

These visiting southern guys are now taking everything for the southern markets leaving little local stock.

Gotta be happening in Nt.