Status of the Blue Swimmer Crab Fishery in Shark Bay, Western Australia Fishery Assessment Document

Authors

David Harris
Danielle Johnston
Errol Sporer
Mervi Kangas
Felipe Nieves
Nick Caputi

Publication Date

1-2014

Series Number

Fisheries Research Report No. 233

Publisher

Government of Western Australia Department of Fisheries

ISBN

978-1-921845-44-4

ISSN

1035 - 4549

Abstract

The Shark Bay Crab Fishery on the central coast of Western Australia has developed rapidly in the last 10 years to become Australia’s highest producing blue swimmer crab fishery, with peak landings in 2010 of 828t valued at over AU$6 million. The resource is harvested commercially by the Shark Bay crab trap and Shark Bay prawn trawl fisheries, with negligible amounts retained by the Shark Bay scallop fishery. There are currently five 300-trap licences and 28 trawl (18 prawn and 10 scallop) licences authorized to take blue swimmer crabs in Shark Bay.

Number of Pages

84

Keywords

Portunus armatus; Portunus pelagicus Crab fisheries; Fishery management; Fishery surveys; Fishery statistics; Catch statistics; Catch and effort; Stock assessment; Shark Bay - Western Australia

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries

Recommended Citation

Harris, D., Johnston, D., Sporer, E., Kangas, M., Felipe, N. and Caputi, N. (2014). Status of the Blue Swimmer Crab Fishery in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Fisheries Research Report No. 233. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. 84p.