Blue swimmer crab fishery

Fishery symbol

• C1: Other than spanner crabs

Management

• Blue swimmer crab harvest strategy
• Crab fishery working group

Operating area

• Area of the C1 crab fishery

Quota

The fishery is managed through:

• individual transferable quotas (ITQs) units allocated to each primary commercial fishing licence
• management region: BC1 – blue swimmer crab (all of Queensland)

A licence holder must have sufficient unused quota for the blue swimmer crab management region before they are allowed to fish in that region.

The otter-trawl fishery is also permitted to retain this species as by-product and are limited to trip limits.

Licences

To operate in the commercial crab fishery, you need a:

• commercial fisher licence for the person in charge of fishing activities
• primary commercial fishing licence with the relevant fishery symbol.

Reporting and monitoring

Commercial crab fishers must:

• report trip and catch notices
• pre-trip notice
• amending notice
• prior notice
• weight notice
• emergency notice
• catch disposal record
• complete daily logbooks
• keep sale dockets
• have vessel tracking on their boats
• comply with state marine park and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning rules.

Closures

• None apply

Equipment

The number of crab pots, collapsible traps or dillies that can be used depends on how many C1 symbols are on a primary commercial fishing licence:

• 1 x C1 symbol – maximum of 50 pots, collapsible traps or dillies can be used at the same time
• 2 x C1 symbols – maximum of 100 pots, collapsible traps or dillies can be used at the same time
• 3 x C1 symbols: – maximum of 150 pots, collapsible traps and dillies can be used at the same time.

Note: No more than 100 pots, collapsible traps or dillies can be used at the same time in the Hervey Bay or Moreton Bay crab areas.

This fishing gear must be checked at least every 7 days after being set.

Trotlines

Fishers can fish using pots arranged along a trotline (excluding some areas):

• no more than 10 pots are permitted on a single line
• you must mark the trotlines with a prescribed buoy and flagpole.

Dillies

Dillies must have:

• a maximum area of 1 square metre within the frame
• a maximum net drop of 10cm below the frame
• 1 layer of mesh only
• square or rectangular mesh with a minimum size of 25mm.

Take and size limits

• It is prohibited to take female blue swimmer crabs – they must be immediately returned to the water.
• Minimum length of 11.5cm across widest part of its carapace (notch to notch).