Mud Crab Thieves

[Obi _ Wan]

Got a call from my son last night, he and his lady were going down to Deep Water Bend to throw a few lures for Bream and would i like to join them?
When i finally arrived there i was told it was pretty quite so i just stood and watched while they fished. I walked out onto the pontoon closest to the boat ramp and noticed that there were ropes tied off to two of the bollards, a real out board motor hazzard, my son said they were crab pots and that they belonged to the chap sitting on a bucket up on the next pontoon. After about half an hour this chap (one of our Northern immigrants) pulled up the two pots he had on that pontoon then came down to the one we were on, then pulled up those, nothing in the first pot but in the second there was a mud crab, quite obviously a Jenny by the shape of the caripice and the smallish claws. about 160 to 170mm across. He dropped it straight int a big bucket, then he placed a smaller bucket on top of the crab, then put a lid on the big bucket.
Now i start to boil, steady on i told myself but i just had to say something, Mate are you sure thats a buck crab you know a male? Yes he said its a male, i then said i don't think it is my friend, do you know if Fisheries catch you with that crab they will fine you a lot of money and possiblly take your gear? you should check, its not worth the grief i said. By this time my son walked over with his head torch, and the chap opened the bucket and we looked at the crab, yes mate i said its a female you have to put it back i said, he looked at me and threw the crab back into the water, i then proceeded to tell him that he should also have his name and address on his pots, he said do you? i then said yes mate you have got to do it or they will get you and fine you for that to.
I don't think the chap was very happy but i for one was happy to see that crab go back into the water. Although i don't crab very often these days i used to try and catch mud crabs for the family Christmas Lunches. Some years ago i spent all night up the pine trying to get some crabs, yes i caught about 80 but took none home, all the Jennys were huge and all the bucks were a hair under legal size.
What do you people think about this type of activity?
Cheers,
Obi_Wan

[blu]

It was only last week my landlord got his lifted due to the diff size in boat and donk could not catch up with Mr *%#& wit .Keith collected his pots (empty) and went back to the ramp were there was only one other car.YES it was our lowlife mate so to cut a long story short has anyone tried to retreve a boat with 4 flat tyers....

[snasman]

Well done Obi good on for saying something lets hope it breeds lots more little Muddies,Blu what a cracker would have been a nice surprise for the theving b%#:^*d ,its a unfortuate fact of life that a few spoil it for the rest of us.

[Poodroo]

Good on you Obi_Wan. Sickens me to say but there are so many people out there doing the wrong thing all the time that it will always guarrantee similar threads to yours for many years to come. Always satisfying to know that there are good people like yourself out there who will at least say something to these morons in hope that they will do the right thing even if it is under duress.

Poodroo

[Jeremy]

It was only last week my landlord got his lifted due to the diff size in boat and donk could not catch up with Mr *%#& wit .Keith collected his pots (empty) and went back to the ramp were there was only one other car.YES it was our lowlife mate so to cut a long story short has anyone tried to retreve a boat with 4 flat tyers....

How can you be so sure? Is that the only ramp you can access the waterway with? Are you certain your pots were interfered with?

I can understannd that sort of action of you are absolutely certain, but otherwise, you are no better than the pot lifters.

Jeremy

[DaMaGe]

It was only last week my landlord got his lifted due to the diff size in boat and donk could not catch up with Mr *%#& wit .Keith collected his pots (empty) and went back to the ramp were there was only one other car.YES it was our lowlife mate so to cut a long story short has anyone tried to retreve a boat with 4 flat tyers....

Very concerning! :-/

[Dezzer]

Firstly I never keep Jennies or undersize crabs, but

how can anything be sustainable when the population of 1 sex is is so disproportionate to the other. Surely they must look at changing the law to something like
- drop the limit for muddies or have a closed season
- allow the keeping of 1 female for every buck or 2 bucks as long as not in row
- make the legal size for jennies much larger as the big girls never seem to have row anyway

Can't count the times that 20 - 30 jennies are caught for 1 buck. Leveling off this discrepancy would have to be healthier for the population.

[Brett1907]

Well done Obi_Wan, good to see that he listened to you as well. Just hope he uses the information in the future.

Also glad to see no one called you racist for for calling him an immigrant, as unfortunaltely (in my experience) they seem to break the fishing rules a disproportionately larger percentage of the time than locals. By locals I mean those of us (any heritage) who have grown up with the rules & reulations.

Maybe if the DPI&F spent some money in education it would help fix the problem. How about give away FREE waterproof sheets with all the current size & bag limits at all 4WD & Fishing shows? I'd take one.

Brett

[kingtin]

Well done mate although the next time you ain't around, I'm sure the tosspot will do the same>:(

I'm sick and tired of the number of times that these so-called "fishos" pretend that they are ignorant of the law or pretend that they just don't understand.

That said, I've seen plenty of "happy families" down DWB way sticking undersize fish into a bucket........... Kids (in all their glorious innocence) poking at them with sticks whilst delighted mom and dad look on.

What's the answer? I guess it comes down to a national TV ad campaign which illustrates this kind of behaviour as unacceptable..........education.........something to alert the weekend mum and dad fisho to educate their kids in the fishery regs. Widespread coverage on SBS in different languages. Would they cry "lack of funding"?.........you bet, but they can still spend taxpayers dollars on the "take up citizenship" campaign................if citizenship is so important to the gov't, let them first spend money making potential citizens aware of their responsibilities.

On another note, I pointed out the "no fishing" sign on the pontoon to one bloke who was whingeing that I had disturbed his fishing when I pulled in there. It got a bit heated and within a minute 3 of his "mates" who were fishing on the other pontoon had strolled over. I had to bite my tongue (10 yrs ago I wouldn't have) ::) Just be careful down there mate, it ain't the happy family venue that it used to be:(

kev

[Dirtysanchez]

Yes good on you for steppinig up to the plate, that takes b@lls !!
I admire that because you don't know what sort of lunatics are out there that may pull a knife on you just for tryinig to give them some advice or assistance.

I have to agree, I am a bit concerned about the comment on slashing the tyres of the only other car in the carpark on Blu's post... I am sure that there are other ramps this guy could have launched at so that was a dangerous assumption..

[BrandonH]

I wasn't very happy with this guy.. he knew he was doing the wrong thing and tried to hide it.. He was checking the pots without a light and didn't have any idea if it was male or female when he put it in his bucket. i wonder how many people in boats do this and get away with it? I have fished the pine quite hard the last 2 years and have NEVER been talked to by fisheries or the water police. In fact I think i have only ever seen them up there once and they wern't checking every boat.. Maybe we need a fishing licence up here and have the profits of this go to more fisheries staff? We can give out as many flyers and put up as many signs as we want explaing the regulations but it won't stop this kind of thing happening.

Does anyone know the numbers of fisheries staff working in qld compaired to Nsw?

Kev, I was fishing on that pontoon and will keep fishing it but would only ever do it late at night (as to not upset boaties as well as not have one come in every 5 mins scaring the fish!! But being a boat ramp you have to expect boats comming in!!!!!) if a boat does come in at midnight while i am there the lines come in and i fish upstream or help the boatie if by himslef or in a big boat;) I figure I wouldn't be upset as a boatie with someone doing this. We can share this area!! We use to untill d@##s like you ran into screwed it up for the landbased fisherman.

Cheers
Brandon...

[Mozza]

Hi guys,

Any time someone talks crabbing rules I have to comment having lived in the NT for some time and, also having some involvement with the mudcrab fishery research up there.

The NT allows keeping Jennies as well as Bucks. The senior researcher Ian Knuckey carried some fairly exhaustive work testing crab size against spawning/berry rates and determed from his research that a small increase in the keep-size would increase spawning rates something like ten-fold. As a result the min. size was increased for the Jennies (I think - will check).

I'm pretty sure that it also showed that chucking the Jennies back made absolutely no difference at all.

Mozza

[GAD]

I had heard that Queensland may change the crab rules to be in line with NT, but weather or not they ever do something or not we'll see.

Cab pots all over the country go missing or get checked all the time , because of a few scum tha rather let someone else do the work. In Cairns they micro chip pots and bait them to catch a few scum, but it happens all the time the " cath a crab " tour salt their pots just before they get there or they go missing, Hinchinbrooke if your pot is there they'll check it remove the bait , cut off the float , leave the pot open , steal the pot or just smash it ... So now when I go there I never put pots.. At Taylors beach you can put the pots out the front and see them from the house and the amount of people that go to look and see , and even seen a bloke trying to get the crab out but we yelled out and he ran away before we could catch him, so crab pot thieves are not just down south , but they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law , theft is theft .or maybe a few bruises from the the mack subduer if you can catch them....

[Mozza]

I'm with you GAD but, also I prefer to fish than baby-sit my pots.

Just NT fisheries:
Bucks: 13cm
Jennies:

[Mozza]

I'm with you GAD but, mostly I prefer fishing to baby-sitting pots.

NT fishery rules:
Bucks: 13cm
Jennies: 14cm (so the legal limit was increased 1cm for a massive improvement in recruitment)

Mozza

[blu]

Yes VERY sure it was same guy the tyers wernt SLASHED just let down and wated for the p*#ck to get back to ramp.But did not go to close due to how pi##ed off the theif was .I also didn't say last night this has happend b4 and disheartend Keith so much sold his punt ...

[Synful]

Surely they must look at changing the law to something like
- drop the limit for muddies or have a closed season
- allow the keeping of 1 female for every buck or 2 bucks as long as not in row
- make the legal size for jennies much larger as the big girls never seem to have row anyway

Can't count the times that 20 - 30 jennies are caught for 1 buck. Leveling off this discrepancy would have to be healthier for the population.


Gotta admit, your right about the amount of jennies in comparison to the bucks; wouldn't be the first time I've had that when i was fishing in Brisbane.:(

Lowering the size for mud crabs will only make it worse, a closed season is the only answer here, or the latter suggestion about the size limit being raised on jennies.

That being said, it still comes back to the issue of the law being policed or people will continue to take undersized crabs, fish etc.:-/

It's a sad state to be in when this happens but I bet the guy responsible for taking the crab also is the first to whinge when there aren't any crabs around too...

Tom Burns once said: "You can't legislate against stupidity" - which I feel is one of the most down to earth, no bu11$%it statements a pollie has ever made.

[SWANY22]

look im not condoneing it but tie a couple of long shank hooks up side down on your ropes make them think twice about pulling someones pot again .

[rockfisho]

good onya mate

i remember going down to the sydney fish markets and saw some of our northen immigrants selling female crabs. i was pretty annoyed, so i gave them a mouthful, and they said they are legal in NSW, i didn't really know though, so i left it at that.

[snasman]

look im not condoneing it but tie a couple of long shank hooks up side down on your ropes make them think twice about pulling someones pot again .
Hey Swany Im with you on this matter but was warned against due to LEGAL LIABILITY just like the theif who breaks into your house falls through the roof then Sues you for everything if they get injured whilst stealing your pots all they have to say is the rope was rapped around my prop.Dos,nt help with the problem but is food for thought.Cheer Snas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I say bring back law 303

[tunaman]

Someone else had the best idea. Go fishing, set your traps, and check them out in 4 hours time. If the crabs are there, you,ll have them in that time frame surely?. I dont go for them myself, so Iam only guessing that would be long enough.



signed tunaman

[SWANY22]

snasman just a thought never done it before.but hopefully some of thoes thieves might read these colums.and might start thinking twice.about lifting our pots.

[Squiggle]

In Qld how are the crabs measured?
In NSW it's the body only from front to back.
Jenny's are legal unless they are berried.

[_Dan_]

good onya mate

i remember going down to the sydney fish markets and saw some of our northen immigrants selling female crabs. i was pretty annoyed, so i gave them a mouthful, and they said they are legal in NSW, i didn't really know though, so i left it at that.

Yep legal in NSW, seems so odd that within 20 klms, 2 rivers have different rules on crabs (tweed and Currumbin).

The uncle in law is a pro crabber (NSW) and he cant understand why they are illegal in Qld..

All i know is i have go 13 crabs so far this year and none have been legal and havent caught too many jennies either.

One point, as someone who is on the water regularly i see some shady guys driving around on the water with no rods and no pots??????

Cheers

Dan

[Squiggle]

Another thing we have noticed of late is the bigger bucks haven't had much in the way of meat in them yet the ones that are just over legal and the Jenny's have been full?

[Steve A]

Well people. I thought it was just the mud crab god getting even, becuase a many times down on the logan river I put out pots just to come back and find or rather not find one or two pots.

[kingtin]

Another thing we have noticed of late is the bigger bucks haven't had much in the way of meat in them yet the ones that are just over legal and the Jenny's have been full?

Could well be that the bigger ones slow down as they reach their limit in size/age and don't moult as much as the smaller ones. The 'fullness" is attributable to the moult (before or after) so if they aren't "full" they aren't about to moult ie to grow.

kev

[LeeannP]

One of my mates fished the Pin over the weekend, put the crab pots out and when he checked them found that someone else already had AND removed the bait AND cut holes in them.

If you do put pots out, just ensure that you're there to keep an eye on them.

[_Dan_]

Leann, if thats not a pro im not here...

Why else would someone slash someones pots?

[moondancer]

Pot thieves...long standing problem. Unfortunately, whilst we naturally feel like taking the law into our own hands (hooks on ropes/ tyreashed etc.) and even the simple act of 'having a chat'....we continually face more and more chance of being in trouble ourselves. Sad reality....this is how many crimes go untouched...people are too scared to intervene for fear of being hurt themselves, and it is a reality.

Don't know the answer, other than more education and greater policing, but certainly share the anger and frustration.

L

[tigermullet]

One of my mates fished the Pin over the weekend, put the crab pots out and when he checked them found that someone else already had AND removed the bait AND cut holes in them.

If you do put pots out, just ensure that you're there to keep an eye on them.


Could be but also could be a turtle - they just love crabs in net pots especially witch's hats. They can bite the bejeezus out of net. Mate of mine had it happen to a string of witch's hats off Peel Island and was able to identify the culprit because the last ring had captured the turtle!

Turtles are reasonably common at the Pin.