MUD CRAB FIGHT GETS REAL

Seafood council hits back at ‘sensationalised’ claims

THE Northern Territory Seafood Council has responded angrily to claims the mud crab fishery is on the brink of collapse.

The NT News last month reported the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the Northern Territory president Warren De With called on the NT Government to shut Bynoe Harbour to commercial crabbing, due to unsustainable crabbing. However, NTSC chairman Rob Fish said the “sensationalised claims” were a plot to close down the fishery.

“If the claim of fishery collapse was even close to being the truth we would be seeking urgent action from the Minister to limit all fishing pressure, not just one sector,” he said.

“The industry is more aware and concerned than anyone about the poor wet seasons and a decline in crab numbers. To present this situation as a collapsing fishery shows either a scary lack of understanding about fisheries resource management, and/or something more sinister.”

The Mud Crab Management Advisory Committee is responsible for advising the Government on management and research needs. Both the NTSC and AFANT are members of the committee.

“All stakeholders helped develop and are committed to the Resource Sharing Framework, to ensure the best outcome for Territorians and fisheries resources,” Mr Fish said. “Yet what we are seeing unfold in the media is a greedy grab with outlandish claims attempting to bypass this agreed and well-established fishery management process.”

Previously, Mr De With said recreational fishers would also “play their part”.

“If we need to also take the pain and have stricter bag measures on crabbing, then so be it. We are not abdicating our responsibility,” he said.

“We are simply saying we want the Government to step up to the plate and make a decision because the population is so low at the moment.”

The Territory’s mud crab commercial fishery is worth around $10 million a year.

Commercial fishing is already banned in Darwin Harbour and in most creeks adjoining Shoal Bay. The limits for amateur crab catchers are 10 crabs per person or 30 per boat.