Tag: mandurah

Slow Start to South West Crabbing Season Predicted

A lengthy winter and lower than average water temperature is predicted to cause a slow start to Crabbing this season. The iconic Mandurah crab fishery opened on November 1st, however fishers are not expected to encounter good numbers of legal sized crabs for at least another month.

It is important to recognise that many crabs will still currently be undersize, and that your crabbing efforts may be better spent later in the season. Crabs grow rapidly as water temperatures warm up in late December and January and this is considered the best time to fish for crabs. Whenever you go crabbing remember to always carry a crab gauge and measure the crabs correctly from point to point on the carapace (body) to ensure they are larger than the minimum legal size of 127mm.

Be sure to abide by the personal bag limit of 10 and boat limit of 20 crabs, and a maximum of 10 pots is allowed per person/boat. A Recreational Boat Fishing Licence is required if taking or transporting crabs by boat.

New rules regarding the immediate release of protected crabs are now in effect, meaning that undersize and berried (egg-carrying) crabs must be released as soon as they are caught before resuming fishing. It is also important to know that uncooked crabs MUST be maintained whole and not dissected or altered in any form prior to preparation for consumption.

Lastly, it is always important to be mindful in your fishing activities and respect the environment in which you are accessing. The surrounding environment adjacent to crab habitat is also important for a host of other fish, invertebrate and bird species and there are many environmental groups actively working at restoring much of the riparian vegetation and coastal plants that help to maintain the health and function of our estuaries.

Groups like the Peel Harvey Catchment Council are actively involved in some of these efforts and we urge fishers to think before you step, and use designated access points to your fishing grounds in order to preserve the delicate plants that are invaluable to improving the fishing environment.

Mandurah Crabs Receive World First Certification

RECFISHWEST is thrilled the Peel-Harvey Estuary’s iconic Blue Swimmer Crab fishery has been recognised as the world’s first internationally certified sustainable recreational and commercial combined fishery in June 2016. The certification awarded to both the Mandurah Licensed Fisherman’s Association and Recfishwest, who were co-clients in the process, by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The MSC is an independent, international non-profit organisation established to safeguard healthy fish stocks.

The Peel-Harvey blue swimmer crab fishery is the most popular WA recreational fishery and also provides a livelihood for 10 commercial crab licence holders. Receiving this world-first certification ensures the longevity of this fishery and Recfishwest has been an enthusiastic supporter of the process, which protects and promotes sustainable and enjoyable fishing opportunities for the WA community.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said he was thrilled with the announcement but more we can’t rest on our morels and continued best-practised need to be maintained.

“This was never an exercise in achieving sustainability or gaining approval of being sustainable, this was an exercise in ensuring that correct management measures are maintained and improved if need be to ensure people can come to Mandurah with the confidence that their crabs are here to stay,” Dr Rowland said.

Mandurah Licensed Fisherman’s Association President Damien Bell and long-time crab fisher said seeing the certification finally come to fruition in line with good science with a sustainability outcome for both sectors is a win – win.

“We have been providing WA with some of the best, most sustainable seafood for many years and we wouldn’t be here today if we weren’t sustainable in our practices and I’m proud that the fishery has been recognised by an independent third party as sustainable” Mr Bell said.

It is the first recreational fishery in the world to gain recognition through the Marine Stewardship Council certification program. The MSC certification gives the community reassurance they can continue to do so for years to come at the same time as remaining compatible with the outstanding environmental values of the estuary.

For more on MSC and other certified fisheries, click here.

New Mandurah Fishing Reef Ready to Set Sail

Recfishwest welcomes today’s announcement by new Fisheries Minister Joe Francis, that the much anticipated Mandurah artificial reef is to be deployed in the coming days. The Australian made Mandurah reef will be a carbon copy of the Bunbury and Dunsborough reefs which are already proving to be a hit with fishers. The 3m x 3m purpose built cubic concrete reef modules are on their way to their reef site, currently an underwater sandy desert only 9km from WA’s second largest city.

Recfishwest Chief Executive Officer Dr Andrew Rowland said the preferred location was carefully selected in consultation with the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club, the Port Bouvard Fishing Club as well as various community stakeholders.

“The local fishing community has real ownership of this development and has provided expert advice so that this new reef maximises fishing opportunities for everyone in the region.” Dr Rowland said.

“The Mandurah reef will be 9km from shore in an area easily accessible for families with small boats leaving from either the Mandurah Estuary mouth or the Dawesville Cut,” Dr Rowland said.

“Once deployed, the reef will develop into a complex marine habitat in a short time supporting a diverse fish community, which will provide new fishing opportunities for many iconic fish species including Pink Snapper, Skippy and Samson fish.”

“This project has been a long time in the making and Recfishwest and the community are thankful for the strong support from local MP and keen fisher Dr Kim Hames.”

“Recfishwest and the wider fishing public are extremely pleased that recreational fishing licence money is being reinvested into projects that enhance the recreational fishing experience,”

“These types of projects are highly valued by the community.” Dr Rowland said.