Crab fishery working group

This working group provides operational advice on the management of the Queensland crab fishery, which predominantly harvests mud crabs and blue swimmer crabs. The spanner crab fishery is managed separately.

Queensland’s crab fishery spans the east coast and Gulf of Carpentaria, with 412 licences attached to 347 separate commercial fishing boat licences and significant recreational take. In recent years, the total commercial catch of mud crabs and blue swimmer crabs has remained at around 1,200 and 150 tonnes respectively. While protections are in place for female and undersized crabs of both species, there are concerns about overcapacity in the fishery, competition between sectors, and black-marketing due to the value of the product.