Thieve slashed crab pots

[Larips8]

I have just returned from avery fruitless crabbing trip to the northern end of the passage resulting innothing less than my crab pots (3 of 4) having been slashed. I can only assumethere was something worthwhile in them for such actions.

My pots were left outovernight placed in a relatively open area. Now, unless mud crabs are startingto carry cut throat razors for protection there is only one likely possibility.Someone is doing raids and feels the need to bypass zip-ties by slashing gapingholes in whatever pots they come across to get crabs out.

In my time as a frequentcrabber, I like many other members have suffered from ‘share farming’ howeverhave never had pots slashed.

Has anyone else experiencedthis recently?

[MudRiverDan]

I'm betting they sell them to restaurants, would put money on it.

[Prowl n Wolf]

it bloody amazes me why these scumbags go to the trouble of knock'n off/slash'n pots! its got to be one the easiest forms of fish'n and getting a feed you can do. i havent crabbed since last season as i lost 5 "crab'n'gear" quality pots too someone who needed them more. its a shame a favourite pastime is lost by actions of a few. regards, tony.

[Mr__Bean]

It must be time to sink some dummy pots, Bessa Brick or similar under a dummy named crab float.

Rope laced with trebles!!

No risk for the innocent, but a sure shock for a thief.

Darren

[marto78]

I have just returned from avery fruitless crabbing trip to the northern end of the passage resulting innothing less than my crab pots (3 of 4) having been slashed. I can only assumethere was something worthwhile in them for such actions.

My pots were left outovernight placed in a relatively open area. Now, unless mud crabs are startingto carry cut throat razors for protection there is only one likely possibility.Someone is doing raids and feels the need to bypass zip-ties by slashing gapingholes in whatever pots they come across to get crabs out.

In my time as a frequentcrabber, I like many other members have suffered from ‘share farming’ howeverhave never had pots slashed.

Has anyone else experiencedthis recently?

Thats the reason I don't zip tie my pots anymore.

[Oh Gee]

Gone are the days when you can leave them unattended. I always sit off mine a little just far enough so I could catch the scumbags in action. Had to let a pro know I was watching him one day. He didn't acually pull a pot up but after a couple of laps around the float I let my presence known.

[Pointyfish]

I recently moved to the Sunny coast from northern WA where this sort of thing basicly never happened. I realise the more people around the more chance this sort of thing will happen but from watching this forum and reading the extent of the problems crabbers and red claw fisherman are having has totally blown me away and left me disgusted.

To steal some ones catch is truely a shameful act but to destroy their pots to access their catch I assume 'quickly'? surely they must drive off feeling like a piece of sh*t!

[peterbo3]

If you plan to leave the pots for any length of time you have to sink them in pairs with a 10-15M line between them in deeper water & with a brick inside to stop movement. Put a tiny float on the line to keep it off the bottom so you can use a light reef pick to recover the line. Put your name on the pots & punch in the location on your GPS. Do not run a float on the surface. Fisheries only seem to target the "big time" illegal crabbers & for some reason do not use unmarked boats with officers in plain clothes so a man has to do what needs to be done. Pumicestone Passage has had a very bad reputation for pot theft for at least ten years.

[lethal098]

More than Likely it was a pro, I know of a pro that works in the bay that does the same thing, Doesnt even need a Zip tie to make him do it.

I zip tie all of mine when i leave them unattended and so far very few have been checked, I know the day is coming when i will have pots stolen, until then i will keep doing what i am doing.

Its a Bastard no doubt about it, Just gotta catch them doing it.

Cheers Lee

[Larips8]

One thing for sure it makes it extremely difficult when you get home and explain to the missus that you caught nothing yet need to buy more pots.
From now on I will be sitting on my pots with very watchful eyes and no need to zip-tie.
I have often thought of sinking pots but have absolutely no idea how to do it effectively and fear loosing more gear.
Cheers for all the replies. I hope no one else gets stung by the individual/s.

[lethal098]

Peter, I have been told very specifically by fisheries that if you are found to be sinking pots you will be fined, No middle line with them, They can never tell how many pots you have in the water, Most illegal crabbing is done this way as the evidence is hard to find. I used to sink all of mine until i was informed of this. Luckily it was a question i had asked one day after returning from a Sandcrab session and had all my pots marked and floats as per regulations.

The Share farmers in SE Qld is nothing new, Personally i dont give a shit if you check my pot, whatever, But leave my $50+ pot and rope and float there, and close the opening back up to at least give me a chance. I am not happy if someone does it but it is something for the moment we have to live with. I am not willing to be fined for sinking pots to catch a feed of crabs. As i said earlier i have been lucky and not had any pots stolen, Not sure why, Just Lucky. Last summer i had 12 pots down every weekend for 4 months so not just crabbing every now and then.

I am looking at ways to catch the Pro in the bay that is doing this but still eludes me at the moment. If you want to stop it, Get Video evidence of it happening, You need to make sure that you can clearly identify your Float and pot on the Video, Paint the float, Put something on the pot to identify it. I have been told this by fisheries as this pro needs to be stopped but without evidence or them catching him it is impossible to prove.

Dont take it into your own hands as you will be the one on Police charges. Get the evidence and go from there.

Cheers Lee

[rob fish]

correct me if i'm wrong but isn't Pumistone Passage closed to commercial crabbing?if so how could it be a pro?Normaly the a..holes that slash pots are ferals that'' black ''crabs in your area and don't whant you there.
Rob

[fishfeeder]

I sink my pots and haven't lost a single pot since I started doing it. The way I see it is the Fisheries and Police are doing F$%K ALL to stop it happening so I am going to do the only thing I can to protect my pots...
I would do the right thing if there was a chance that when I return to get my pots they would still be there..

Cheers
Brett

[tunaticer]

I no longer use pots, I use underslung dillies like everyone used to use before the suicide nets came into play. With an hour or two checking the dillies every ten minutes I can have my limit in very quick order, then pull the dillies in and get on with fishing for a while. It amazes me how effective they are, lots more effective than pots or even the old suicide nets. Something about the crab not having to find a way in, simply go straight to the bait and start feeding. Check them often enough and you will get them very soon after they find the bait. Garfish and whiting frames are the gun bait for sandies I think.

[Dignity]

It must be time to sink some dummy pots, Bessa Brick or similar under a dummy named crab float.

Rope laced with trebles!!

No risk for the innocent, but a sure shock for a thief.

Darren

I have been thinking on this theme and maybe there is a dyed grease or something similar that is non polluting that you could soak/cover the rope in so that when they pull it up their hands will be permanently stained. This would achieve 2 things, 1, the cops would have no argument as to who pulled the pots up and 2, the buggers would stand out at any ramp as share farmers and get their fair deserts from the rest of us.

[peterbo3]

Lee,
As I said, do what has to be done.::)::) A good pot is $50 from ATS nets & if DERM will not enforce the regs then the thieves win. When I lived up in Campwin Beach a few years ago Mackay Fisheries knew who was stealing pots. He was a pro who copped two enormous floggings from victims at the Sarina Inlet ramp. He had his tyres slashed outside the Sarina Beach Surf Club. A few of us approached Fisheries & asked them to micro chip some muddies so we could put them in a few pots. No money in the budget for "sting" operations. No money in the budget for night ops, ie overtime. Also, they claimed they were not allowed to give us the chipped muddies, even though we offered to provide them.:o:o
Soooooooooooo............ I do not give a rodent's rectum about their stupid rules anymore. I will run my four pots per person as I see fit & I will keep no jennies or undersize crabs.
If the Fire Brigade cannot turn up when needed, you have to use your own hose.;);)

[fat-buoy]

I remember when Rex Hunt (Yibbida Yibbida) came to my home town of Redcliffe to put some pots in and catch some crabs only to have them all knocked off before he could pull them up again... typical of the low life scum that raid pots and steal from others... I would quite happily show them my appreciation if given the chance.......

[roz]

The Agnes Water/1770 slasher must have gone on holidays, yep, same thing happens there and has been for years, the police are sure they know who he is but need more proof.
Next time I put pots out I might take Darrens advice.
Cheers Roz

[Louis]

I used to often loose my pots every time I put them in a particular place in the bay.

I have been told by two persons in good authority who it probably is. A particular pro crabber who is known for this conduct and who works this part of the bay.

I now put my pots elsewhere. I still loose them every once in a while but at least not every time.

Perhaps try putting them in a different place. You’ll still loose them from time to time but hopefully not as often.

I’ve been told by those in the know that many pro crabbers have far more pots out than they are lawfully entitled to. I wonder how some of the pros who do have more pots than they are allowed get these extra pots.


Louis

[Louis]

Just a bit of advice that I received once from a Police Officer in the Water Police when on one occasion I reported my pots stolen.

He advised me that sometimes when they got a search warrant to search a person’s house for stolen pots etc. they would find hundreds of pots that had been stolen and sometimes whilst they would have the floats removed and thrown away, they sometimes would leave the identification tags inside the pot if they were very securely attached as they would be just to lazy to take the extra effort to remove them and then they could trace the pot back to the rightful owner this way.



Louis

[wayno60]

if anyone slashed my pots and i know who that are they will return the boat ramp and have to replace 6 slashed tyres

[krusey]

if anyone slashed my pots and i know who that are they will return the boat ramp and have to replace 6 slashed tyres

i'm with you wayne i'd slash the spares with the rest of them to

[kingcray]

I just write "Im watching you #######" on the tag on the pot. dont know if its scared anyone off yet but i like to think it has.

[URAGANGI]

Yes all the above have mentioned a sad case of affairs. Respect for your fellow fisho's hard earnt gear is on the decline. The solution as mentioned earlier by fellow members is sink them or loose them. This seems a more attractive way too crab from now on. I go out too fish and crab to relax.
I don't want to be on edge every time someone in a tinny or other come's too close to my floats. That's not relaxing or fishing.

TunaTicer and PeterBo3 nice system thanks.
cheers,
Viper.

[Louis]

Sadly crab pot theft and crab theft seems to be becoming a bigger and bigger problem every year.
I have decided to report every crab pot I have stolen to the new Police Link number which is phone 131 444. You can simply report the theft over the phone.
I’m hoping that if the Queensland Police Service realise what a constant problem it is for us recreation al anglers they may put more resources into catching those that steal our pots or at least ask the Boating and Fisheries Patrol Officers do likewise.


Louis

[sharkymark2]

Had a pro slash one of mine in southern end of bay. I was sitting back bottom of karragarra with my binocs brought along just in case. I saw him start early in checking his pots so I tore over and he just took off without checking his pots. Only lost one pot to "Jack the Slasher". Next time I see him I will let him know that the person who was slashing mine might start slashing his!!!!

[Ausfish]

Sadly crab pot theft and crab theft seems to be becoming a bigger and bigger problem every year.
I have decided to report every crab pot I have stolen to the new Police Link number which is phone 131 444. You can simply report the theft over the phone.
I’m hoping that if the Queensland Police Service realise what a constant problem it is for us recreation al anglers they may put more resources into catching those that steal our pots or at least ask the Boating and Fisheries Patrol Officers do likewise.


Louis

Great idea. The water police would love to solve this problem but do not always have the budget or resources to allocate to it.

The more people that report it the more data they have to use as proof they need the resources.

It may not do anything to get your pots back now but it will help collate the data they need to help us with this problem in the future.

[scruffy2]

I worked in the water police, and a local pro came to me complaining about share farmers, as some pots good, next empty. He came in again a few days later, absolutely fuming. He said he had more visitors to his lobster pots, and they must have got a good haul. Well, how would you know that I queried?????
He produced a six pack of VB the thieves had left in his trap. (Still cold). They must have been happy, but I must say, I'd rather something other than VB for lobsters.

[scruffy2]

Forgot to include one of the best crab thefts I have ever seen. I was fishing with wifey up a creek on the west coast of the Gulf near Weipa. We saw plenty of crocs on the bank as the tide went out. When the tide turned, they all slid into the water. Then, just near the bank, there was great commotion. A pot, (steel wire cage) about 4ft square came out of the water attached to the jaws of Mr croc, (x2) who commenced to dismantle the entire thing with severe head shakes, and remove the contents. Within minutes it was totally destroyed. Even with my Police background, (knowing it wasn't their pot), I decided to let them have it without any questions from me. The owner would probably realise who had done this deed!!!!

[Dignity]

I have decided to report every crab pot I have stolen to the new Police Link number which is phone 131 444. You can simply report the theft over the phone.



Louis

So how many is that you have stolen :)

[xrnath]

I just write "Im watching you #######" on the tag on the pot. dont know if its scared anyone off yet but i like to think it has.

Kingcray, I often do the same, good for peace of mind ::)
Over the past 15 years or so of crabbing I'm lucky enough only to have 1 slashed (Gold Coast), however far to many have been checked... it's shame, and I have no tolerance, but i'm generally happy as long as we get a feed 8-)

[Louis]

So how many is that you have stolen :)


G’day Dignity,

Over the years I wouldn’t be able to guess how many I have had stolen. But it would be a lot. Every crab season I’d guess that on every tenth trip or so I’d lose either some or all of them.


Louis

[Triple]

I have decided to report every crab pot I have stolen to the new Police Link number which is phone 131 444.
Louis

Over his head Dignity ;) Missing "HAD" there Louis..

[Louis]

It’s strange really when you think about it.

The bulk of us anglers are very law abiding citizens.

So I’m guessing that it is a very small minority of repeat offenders who are to blame.

Not actually keen anglers as such but instead just louts who see it as an easy way of fishing with guaranteed results and little chance of being caught.

Or another way of putting it, ‘Opportunistic Scumbags’.

Louis

[Louis]

Sorry fellas,


I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes.

It did go right over my head.


Louis

[Dignity]

Louis, I do it all the time, I have reread some of my posts and cringe :)

[Louis]

Thanks


Louis