Crab Trap Bans In Lake Macquarie Under Review

[Capy100]

Hi All 

Just new to the forum and would like opinions from lake macquarie crab fisherman. Im a advocate for being able to use round style crab pots in lake macquarie which have been banned for no apparent reason even the DPI cannot give straight answers. Im not talking about large mouth crab traps which are banned in most states. Im talking about round style crab traps which are safe effective to the environment with turtle prevention. Yet these traps are banned where witches hats the most destructive trap of all are allowed to be used only making a comparison between the two. I had a meeting with econetworks port stephens crab network and their system is working like a charm 2 round crap traps 4 drop nets not a worry in the world. Across nsw and australia they use round style crab traps why cant we in lake macquarie im not saying change the laws im saying we should be able to use 2 round style crab traps 4 witches hats remain the same. The DPI seem to be wanting their picture in the paper for getting illegal crab traps however they never explain why their banned the round style crab pot is the most safest eco friendly trap on the market today. Even meetings with Lyall Blair minister of fisheries has no idea why, The Local DPI cant tell me why its a joke to say the least. Please have your say it would be great if people express their view the funny part is we can go down tuggerah use them their but lake macquarie no banned why?

[Guest Guest123456789]

Be careful what you wish for, IMO there is no place for trapping in highly urbanised coastal estuaries. You can still catch more than enough crab for a feed using pilchards on a gang hook then netting the crab and there is no bycatch.. The crab population was almost wiped out in the Hawkesbury by two idiots who trapped and caught ALL the crab, now that part of the system is banned from crabbing.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Guest123456789
typo

[PaddyT]

Huh, there are still millions of crabs in the HAwkesbury, how did you get that info- I can catch them at will and so can anyone if they learn a bit

[Guest Guest123456789]

24 minutes ago, PaddyT said:

Huh, there are still millions of crabs in the HAwkesbury, how did you get that info- I can catch them at will and so can anyone if they learn a bit

Good to see you blowing your own trumpet (again) about your fishing prowess. I'm VERY impressed.

A section of the upper part of the system was decimated, not the whole lot. Last I checked there was a ban up past the Windsor bridge.

 

[PaddyT]

Nothing to do with any sort of trumpet champ, there are no bans on crab traps in the Hawkesbury in saltwater (above Windsor bridge is considered non tidal for regulatory purposes), as to your info about it being decimated by traps its just plain wrong, there are millions of muddies and blue swimmers in the system.

[Capy100]

14 hours ago, flatheadluke said:

Be careful what you wish for, IMO there is no place for trapping in highly urbanised coastal estuaries. You can still catch more than enough crab for a feed using pilchards on a gang hook then netting the crab and there is no bycatch.. The crab population was almost wiped out in the Hawkesbury by two idiots who trapped and caught ALL the crab, now that part of the system is banned from crabbing.

Who told you that its simply not true why is it then round style crab traps are used in nearly every waterway except lake macquarie. The only problem is people setting illegal crab traps often home made but their soon caught dpi keeps a close eye on it the risks of being caught are simply not worth it dpi take your boat car trailer issue huge fines and court. Theirs never been a problem with crab stocks hence why the dpi monitor the stocks. If people only realise the benefits of these pots take a look at port stephens they implemented change for crab pots and the sustainability has never been higher in crab stocks 

[Capy100]

12 hours ago, PaddyT said:

Nothing to do with any sort of trumpet champ, there are no bans on crab traps in the Hawkesbury in saltwater (above Windsor bridge is considered non tidal for regulatory purposes), as to your info about it being decimated by traps its just plain wrong, there are millions of muddies and blue swimmers in the system.

 

Well said everything you covered is spot on mate unfortunately the other gentleman what his saying is simply untrue sorry but it is i dont mean to discredit you or anything but if people want a say get it right your only harming the opportunity to use proper crab traps their the safest eco friendly crab pot used today australia wide if their supposedly so bad to banned in lake macquarie why are they used nearly everywhere except us its beyond a joke and for the dpi to say i dont honestly know why their banned being directed to 6 different departments and no one seems to know lol 

[Capy100]

Some updated news from fisheries on why crab pots are banned in lake macquarie which to me is totally outrageous for a start its been banned for over 40 years safe navigational issues fish passage issues and past commercial fishing activities. Now I phoned fisheries many years ago and asked the question and they said its because of the turtles in the lake.

The issues addressed above what about the witches hats set in navigable areas absolutely bombarded at times what about the fish both undersize and legal they catch what about ghost fishing when they just keep catching but their legal to use. Im not on here trying to ban witches hats just making a comparison. 

Thats up to fisheries how they see fit but nsw is about the only state left to use them. 

Cheers have a say please 

 

 

 

[Capy100]

Also a break through on over turning the ban on round style crab pots in lake macquarie. I was informed today by fisheries manager that the dpi stakeholder consultation have approved the review for discussion was also approved by the dpi director now goes to the recreational fishing nsw advisory council for discussion at the next meeting in december. Keep you updated

In closing I will say at least someone like myself has a go and stand up for whats right others shrug their shoulders sit back no nothing. Alot of support is out their for these traps among lake macquarie residents but very few actually speak up we all need a voice if you want to help speak up the more people thats heard the more pressure is on dpi to act next step is the media make even more people aware. Thanks for taking the time to read 

[rickmarlin62]

im in agrreeance with you on allowing traps..ive driven past the fisheries office at the heads and seen two carports full to the roof with thousands of witches hats that are removed from the lake for either being left behind or fished with non compliant floats and markings...rick

[Time28]

No traps of any sort allowed in Brisbane waters which i think is a good idea.Lake Macquarie and the Hawkesbury should be the same its not hard to handline for them.

Edited November 10, 2017 by Time28

[Capy100]

4 hours ago, rickmarlin62 said:

im in agrreeance with you on allowing traps..ive driven past the fisheries office at the heads and seen two carports full to the roof with thousands of witches hats that are removed from the lake for either being left behind or fished with non compliant floats and markings...rick

Yeah thanks rick appreciate your feedback it just seems outragous their banned. Witches hats do more damage than any other trap yet they are allowed gets me scratching my head how they think.

[Capy100]

3 hours ago, Time28 said:

No traps of any sort allowed in Brisbane waters which i think is a good idea.Lake Macquarie and the Hawkesbury should be the same its not hard to handline for them.

Disagree totally why are they banned brisbane waters. Theirs no harm in using these pots their safe effective eco friendly now look at the witches hats most destructive trap on the market banned in several states yet their allowed to be used in lake macquarie port stephens had the change up their and was talking to the main guy behind it all and said its working a treat with no issues what so ever.

[Time28]

Don't know why they are banned in Brisbane waters and never really bothered to find out but for last 30 years I have just used handlines to catch them I know blokes that struggle to handline then net the crab so they go to the Hawkesbury to use traps which is great..more crabs for me ?

[macca02]

I too fish Brisbane waters and also have no issue with crab traps being banned.

Sure traps make catching crabs pretty damn easy - which is probably one of the reasons they're banned in some estuaries in the first place. 

Think about it - you have a waterway with a large population residing around it and you allow traps (2 per person) - then you're going to get a shit ton of people doing it (and more people abusing it), i'd imagine it probably wouldn't take very long to smash their population/numbers - which may very well be the case for introducing the ban in some estuaries (banning traps would allow their numbers to build back up and reduce fishing pressure).

If you can't trap and you have to catch them by line, = less people targeting them =  a greater abundance of crabs in the estuary.
To me its simple - the more crabs the better! And if banning trapping helps then i have no issues with that - you just need to change your tactics on targeting them.

I agree that witches hats are worse and its stupid allowing them and not the round traps. Either ban both or allow the round traps.

[Capy100]

Thanks for posting macca everyones entilted to a view and if thats how you feel then so bit it. A few descrepencies with your post. Firstly these crap pots are used nearly everywhere in Australia including nsw except brisbane waters been in place since world war 1 reasons unsure and lake macquarie reasons explained previously. With no reported problems no decline in crab stocks and sustainability havent altered in over 30 years studies have shown that where witches hats have been banned crab stocks have increased because mortality rates in these witches hats are high compared to release rates in round style crab traps is almost 100 percent. Of course they will have to be monitored even a 12 month trial first port stephens done it 2 years ago and best thing that has ever happened. We shouldnt have to solely rely on a handline to catch crabs when their is a safe effective eco friendly way to catch them in these pots 

[PaddyT]

Use some common sense here folks, the entire estimated rec take of blue swimmers in NSW at last estimation was 27 tonnes vs about 190T of commercial take- 160 odd tonne of which all came from Wallis Lake- and this figure varies very little from year to year. They reach legal size inside 12 months- they are simply not under any threat from either commercial or rec fishing. When we bag our fellow fishos for taking a LEGAL feed using LEGAL methods we simply give ammo to the greens and scuba divers who want to stop us doing what we love- so dont do it! Making claims that a few pots will wipe out a population is nonsense and should be called out as such. Getting back to methods- it is my understanding that there were some concerns about by catch- especially sea turtles in witches hat type traps and thats why restrictions were brought in to Port Stephens- it would be interesting to see the outcome of this.Mud crabs are also very fast growing but I havent had the chance to look up any data about them in NSW-most commercial fishing effort is in the north of Australia but there is still a reasonable commercial catch in NSW under the general estuary rules- rec fishing data is scarce though.

[Time28]

Capy100 asked for opinions on crab traps and as far as can see if the opinion is not the one he agrees with then it's wrong.

[Guest Guest123456789]

On 10/11/2017 at 6:52 PM, rickmarlin62 said:

im in agrreeance with you on allowing traps..ive driven past the fisheries office at the heads and seen two carports full to the roof with thousands of witches hats that are removed from the lake for either being left behind or fished with non compliant floats and markings...rick

Hi Rick, thanks for sharing, I wasn’t aware crab traps caused so much pollution. Curious as to why you think so many floats weren’t compliant?

[rickmarlin62]

ive spoken to the local fisheries officer many times over the last few years..a few times were concerning illegal trapping and sales of mud crabs in our local creeks...last season 50% of witches hats checked didn't have weights below the float/floats were too small/full details of owner not present..so fisheries confiscate the illegal apparatus...they had thousands at one stage....the ones that float away/are run over/left behind/lost continue to catch crabs and fish of all sizes till they fall apart..the bait might disappear but whatever gets caught becomes bait for more..undersize crabs get caught then damaged trying to remove them..the otherproblem in lake mac is the large amount of illegal raiding of others traps/nets by dickheads too lazy to run their own...other forums up this way have been rife with people confronted/rammed/bashed/and given up to the police or fisheries...reducing the number of traps/nets used will be a great idea in my opinion....it is most frustrating trying to travel sometimes lookin into the sun and dodging dozens of floats..some people are taking three or four adults an four kids and running eight sets of witches hats..32 nets from one boat..tell me that's sustainable...bring in traps only//two per person//4 per boat  and have a sensible fishery...rick

[Time28]

Thanks for the well informed information Rick. I agree 2 traps per person,4 per boat is reasonable.

Tim

[PaddyT]

Drop the possesion limit to 10=bag limit, gets rid of confusion plus 10 is plenty. As i said before the trial ban of witches hats in Port Stephens is an interesting one so results of that would be good to see. I know that Qld dont allow witches hats anymore and on my last trip to Moreton Bay back in April the "sandies " were still as prolific as ever (and thats with no bag limit in QLd BUT with a ban on taking females). I dont leave my crab traps unattended due to "farming" problems in the past, Mind you no point in changing rules and regs when there arent enough Fisheries Officers out their enforcing the ones we've already got!

[Guest Guest123456789]

22 hours ago, rickmarlin62 said:

ive spoken to the local fisheries officer many times over the last few years..a few times were concerning illegal trapping and sales of mud crabs in our local creeks...last season 50% of witches hats checked didn't have weights below the float/floats were too small/full details of owner not present..so fisheries confiscate the illegal apparatus...they had thousands at one stage....the ones that float away/are run over/left behind/lost continue to catch crabs and fish of all sizes till they fall apart..the bait might disappear but whatever gets caught becomes bait for more..undersize crabs get caught then damaged trying to remove them..the otherproblem in lake mac is the large amount of illegal raiding of others traps/nets by dickheads too lazy to run their own...other forums up this way have been rife with people confronted/rammed/bashed/and given up to the police or fisheries...reducing the number of traps/nets used will be a great idea in my opinion....it is most frustrating trying to travel sometimes lookin into the sun and dodging dozens of floats..some people are taking three or four adults an four kids and running eight sets of witches hats..32 nets from one boat..tell me that's sustainable...bring in traps only//two per person//4 per boat  and have a sensible fishery...rick

Your post shows once again a minority of nincompoops wrecks it for the majority. Just ban all traps IMO, makes it easier for fisheries to police. Make it hard for the bad guys to make money and stop unnecessary pollution of our waterways. It’s a no brainer.

[lakelad]

It’s been a year since this last post, however still an important topic for local Lake Macquarie fishing folk.

I don’t see an issue with crab traps, I grew up seeing the commercial fishing in the 90’s and the large amount of fish and by catch they caught regularly. The lake is healthier than ever and there’s plenty of fish around, although they have eluded my boat recently ?.

I’ve actually been running traps, I didn’t know they were illegal in the lake.. I got them from a local Lake Macquarie Boating Camping Fishing shop and labelled them legally etc. guess I’m lucky I haven’t had a call from regulators? The shop should have told me or had a sign up.. most of their market would surely be lake users.. this has to be part of the problem, or maybe the dpi is supportive and it’s a little money spinner for both  

I agree with Rick, common sense rules should apply. Lake Mac isn’t Sydney harbour, plenty of lake, less users, plenty of crabs (I dive a bit and see loads). Hand lining for them on gangs is overkill.

Will get some witches hats.. before they get banned for environmental reasons ?

[Berleyguts]

I have no problem in Port Stephens with the ban on witches hat crab nets. I use up to my 2 round crab traps and my 4 hoop nets. The traps I might leave down while I fish outside or elsewhere and check when I get back. The hoop nets, you have to work a bit. So, I’ll set them and fish nearby for flathead etc. then check the nets every 20 or 30 minutes. The catch rate is about the same, although I mainly target blue swimmers. No by catch in the hoop nets but last summer I did catch 2 wobbegongs in the traps, duly released. You can invert your witches hats to work like a hoop net.

Edited October 14, 2018 by Berleyguts