Giant Crab Harvest

In reply to the Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) ().27 September 2023).

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries): I am advised:

My department provided me advice that following the giant crab stock being classified as depleting for the 2022-23 season, a reduction in the total allowable commercial catch (TACC) for the 2023-24 season was necessary to recover the stock, these reductions being 50 per cent to the current total allowable commercial catch for the northern zone of the fishery and 70 per cent to the total allowable commercial catch for the southern zone of the fishery. This corresponds to a total allowable commercial catch of 6.7 tonnes for the northern zone and 2.61 tonnes for the southern zone. The scientific advice I was provided stated that these total allowable commercial catch reductions were required as giant crab is a slow growing species particularly susceptible to recruitment overfishing and the continuous decline in catch per unit effort and catches since 2008 demonstrate that substantial reductions in the total allowable commercial catch are required to recover the stock.

In regard to the southern zone specifically, nine rock lobster licence holders hold giant crab quota, which was temporarily transferred to three licence holders to catch in the 2022-23 season. There is one miscellaneous licence holder in the southern zone who solely targets giant crab and holds almost 70 per cent of the quota in the southern zone (as well as almost 70 per cent of the quota in the northern zone). The majority quota holder is supportive of the reductions to the total allowable commercial catch in order to prevent the continual decline in stock abundance and recover the stock.

I note that the total allowable commercial catch reductions will affect giant crab quota holders differently, as some have historically harvested larger proportions of their quota allocations. I am supportive of my department's decision to reduce fishing mortality, by reducing the total allowable commercial catch, so that future levels of recruitment are able to rebuild the stock from its 'depleting' stock status classification.