Tag Archives: mud crabs
Mud crabbers of King Ash Bay endure harsh lifestyle, extreme weather to catch sought-after seafood
Crocodiles and sharks are just everyday work hazards for Josh Taylor and the other fishermen who battle some of the harshest conditions in Australia to catch one of the nation’s most prized seafoods — mud crabs. Many live in makeshift wooden huts, with no creature comforts, amongst mosquito-infested mangrove swamps in the estuaries around the Gulf of Carpentaria. It may be no surprise then that Mr Taylor is one of just 49 fishers who hold mud crabbing licences in the Northern Territory, and one of just six who drop their pots in the remote King Ash Bay. Despite the hazards, Mr Taylor, who became a commercial mud crabber four years ago, says he enjoys heading out in his boat, catching fish to eat for dinner, and returning to the simple shack he shares with two other fishermen at King Ash Bay. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:11
Poor season drives a black market for crabs in Qld
Poor weather over summer has resulted in a lucrative black market for the sale of mud crabs in Queensland. Recreational fishermen have been caught taking to websites such as Facebook, eBay and Gumtree to illegally sell mud crabs for up to $50 to try to reap the benefits of a poor crabbing season. It comes as the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol was preparing for a busy long weekend as thousands of people were taking to the water over the Easter break. Fishers and crabbers have also been found resorting to illegal activities such as keeping undersized and female mud crabs after a dry summer saw fewer mud crabs being caught in Queensland’s waterways. Earlier this year, a man was fined $3100 after pleading guilty to five crab-related offences, click here to continue reading 13:24
The brutal business of crabbing in Gladstone
The mud crabs in the Gladstone region are the best in Queensland and some local crabbers aren’t afraid of fighting, stealing, threatening and ramming each others’ boats to catch them. With no full-time boating and fisheries patrol officers in Gladstone now the crabbers sometimes have to resort to intimidation to lay claim to the estuaries and waterways where the crabs are. The small commercial crabbing community is awash with rumours, finger pointing and little trust over stealing of crabs, crab pots and cutting floats. Audio, read the rest here 19:16
