Fishers told to expect plenty of undersize crabs ahead of season opener on December 1

The recreational crabbing season will reopen this Sunday, December 1.

Fishers will be allowed to catch blue swimmer crabs from the Swan River down to Binningup, including the Cockburn Sound and Peel-Harvey Estuary.

A bag limit of five blue swimmer crabs per day and a boat limit of 20 per day (when four RBFL holders are on board) applies to people crabbing in the Cockburn Sound and Swan River, while a daily bag limit of 10 legal size crabs applies outside of those areas.

Crabs must be of legal size (127mm) with fishers urged to measure each crab as it is caught and return it to the water if it is undersize or has eggs.

Senior Fisheries Management Officer Bianca Brooks said crabbers can expect plenty of undersize crabs in December and January.

“Estuarine fisheries, particularly the Peel Harvey, are likely to find many undersize crabs early in the season, but with a nine-month season, there will be time for those small crabs to grow and allow for great catches in 2025,” Ms Brooks said.  

“Remember, if you’re fishing in the Swan or Canning Rivers, where the toxin-producing algae Alexandrium can be present, we advise you not to eat the crab guts of blue swimmer crabs. Instead, the health advice is to remove the head, mustard and gills and wash crabs prior to freezing cooking, or eating the crab meat.” 

Anyone who sees or suspects illegal crab fishing activity is urged to report it to DPIRD’s 24/7 FishWatch service on 1800 815 507 or online at Report • Crime Stoppers Western Australia (crimestopperswa.com.au) - click on the special FishWatch link for your report. 

For more information on the season check DPIRD’s West Coast Region crabbing guide.