Status of Gulf of Capentaria Mud Crab Stocks : Establishing a Benchmark for Albatross Bay, Weipa

Abstract

Increasing demands on local mud crab (Scylla serrata) stocks have given rise to concern in the Weipa community about the condition of the mud crab fishery in the area. It is possible that community perceptions of resource depletion are simply caused by changes in the resource allocation between indigenous, recreational and commercial crabbers. However, the level of access by different user groups to harvest the resource should be addressed by fisheries managers and mechanisms established to allocate the resource equitably. For the Gulf of Carpentaria Mud Crab Fishery Management Plan to deliver sustainable levels of harvesting and equitable resource sharing, information is urgently needed about the condition of the wild mud crab resource in Albatross Bay.