The blue swimmer crab season reopens on Thursday, December 1 after the autumn closure.
Fishers can drop nets or scoop crabs from the Swan River down to Binningup Beach excluding Cockburn Sound.
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) researchers have been checking stocks in Cockburn Sound, Warnbro Sound, Comet Bay, Geographe Bay and the Swan Canning, Peel-Harvey and Leschenault estuaries, and report that breeding stock levels in most of the fisheries are within historic ranges.
In Cockburn Sound, both juvenile and breeding stock levels are well below Harvest Strategy reference levels and will remain closed for the 2022/23 season, but recreational crabbers may fish north of a line between Woodman Point and Carnac Island.
Fishers are reminded there will be high numbers of undersize crabs in the Peel-Harvey Estuary when the season opens, and DPIRD compliance officers will be checking catches.
DPIRD Fisheries Management Officer Bianca Brooks said leaving undersize crabs alone or returning them to the water quickly if they don’t measure up was important.
“Small crabs which are returned carefully and promptly to the water will continue to grow throughout the season, meaning fishers can catch larger crabs and have a better feed in January or February,” Ms Brooks said.
“When you’re crabbing, we also urge fishers to inspect their crabs closely and not to collect or consume crabs that are damaged or have shell lesions, or appear in poor health or condition, as they may be affected by bacterial pathogens or other agents that can impact human health.”
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