What can be done?!?

[Wert 472]

So I walked a number of Yorkers jetties on the weekend and was shocked and disgusted by a.) The lack of legal crabs while huge numbers of smaller ones were present and b.) Some people's total disregard to size limits and not keeping berried up females.

I honestly didn't see a crab bigger than barely legal, they should be everywhere and saw certain groups who between them probably kept well in excess of a thousand undersized crabs (even after I helpfully released a few buckets worth).

People may say so many small models is a good sign but with no bigger ones amongst them it is not and unless the indiscriminate non compliance with the rules is policed stocks could be in real trouble.

Please tell me I'm being alarmist or not was a one off thing, I'd really like to believe it but I fear our crab stocks are being raped to oblivion with no one even attempting to stop it.

[Softy 2,991]

Need more fisheries officers simple as that. 

[SurfcaztR 715]

One of the locals at Pt Noarlunga jetty (Gordo)telling me just watch that guy,he'll catch some fish sized or under then take it to his car and come back and resume fishing.And he did a few times,happening all over the place.

[MAH 449]

2 hours ago, Wert said:

saw certain groups who between them probably kept well in excess of a thousand undersized crabs

What are they doing with all these crabs? Are they selling them?

And good on you for having the courage to step in and release some undersized crabs.

[MAH 449]

1 hour ago, SurfcaztR said:

One of the locals at Pt Noarlunga jetty (Gordo)telling me just watch that guy,he'll catch some fish sized or under then take it to his car and come back and resume fishing.And he did a few times,happening all over the place.

This sort of thing really pushes my buttons. I fish Glenelg jetty quite a bit and see similar things happening. There is a bloke that is seen as a local garfish guru, but I see him regularly slip small fish into his white bucket of shame. He knows what he's doing, he doesn't measure them and just slyly slips them into the bucket.

Just from my own observations, at Glenelg, most people are doing the right thing measuring crabs. But some "old timers" are taking the mickey with the fish they are keeping.

[Wert 472]

10 minutes ago, MAH said:

What are they doing with all these crabs? Are they selling them?

And good on you for having the courage to step in and release some undersized crabs.

Not sure, didn’t ask but shameless baby crab pillaging was rampant, particularly at Wallaroo. 

As for stepping in i wouldn't advise doing it, I'll get stabbed one day but it just makes me so annoyed when you give benefit of the doubt and explain size limits only to be ignored completely. 

[Territory Lad 1,137]

As @Softy said, more fisheries officers, which requires more funding. Education can only get so far with out tangible consequences.

[vogon 295]

15 hours ago, Softy said:

Need more fisheries officers simple as that. 

Maybe a Rec fishing "permit" could help with that 

 

[malb 62]

Best thing you can safely do is get straight onto the SA Fishing app and submit a report.  Worth having on your phone for size limit info etc anyway and you can do reports within the app.  You can do this silently, without obviously calling it in. 

Otherwise, ring Fishwatch on 1800 065 522 and report it.  Save the number in your phone.  If they have officers nearby, they'll send them around.  At the very least, they'll know when and where it's happening and you'd hope would increase patrols accordingly.