Boat limit for crabs

[Stapo]

Over the Easter weekend I have been catching crabs with a hand line in Brisbane waters

i know the bag limit for blue swimmers is 10 per person per day and 5 mud crabs. 

I spoke to a fisherman at the boat ramp who said he'd bagged out with 20 blue swimmers but there was 3 people in the boat I said you could have got 10 more. He said there is a boat limit of 20. 

So yesterday I was inspected by fisheries (all good ) and I ask him about the boat limit he said there was no boat limit inside the lake. So if there was 5 people on the boat you could possibly total 50 blue swimmers and 25 mud crabs plus 20 whiting. 

Can somebody clear this up as I've been telling all my mates to be careful how many they have in their boats. 

Thanks Steve. 

[Scratchie]

He is correct. 

There is a bag limit of 10 per person and a possession limit of 20. The possession limit applies to the boat limit also! 

cheers scratchie!!! 

[Stapo]

9 minutes ago, Scratchie said:

He is correct. 

There is a bag limit of 10 per person and a possession limit of 20. The possession limit applies to the boat limit also! 

cheers scratchie!!! 

Thanks Jeff. So your saying there is a boat limit and the fisheries guy was wrong. Mm. I might send them an email. I've looked on the web but it's confusing. 

[Scratchie]

Well, it says in most cases the bag limit is the possession limit except with certain species (blue swimmers included) the possession limit is 20. In all cases the boat limit and possession limit are the same with the exception of charter boats! 

Thats the way I read it!!! 

[Stapo]

Yes I understand there is a possession limit as well. 

But the fisheries inspector said there was no boat limit inside the lake. 

So 5 people could each catch their bag limits and still be under their possession limit as well. 

[Scratchie]

I stand corrected. I should have read it properly. Your bag limit applies per person and the only boat limit at the moment is on gemfish.......

Boat limits

Boat limits aim to limit the catch of anglers fishing in the same boat over a 24 hour period. These apply regardless of the number of people in the boat. Boat limits are intended to limit the overall recreational fishing catch and prevent the circumvention of personal daily bag limits by individual fishers through the carrying of non-fishing passengers in a boat. At present, the only boat limit applies to gemfish (10 fish).

 

 

[Scratchie]

So 3 anglers x 10 blue swimmers! You are allowed 30 in total. No boat limit applies! Just make sure you don't have 11 in the fridge at home!  

[DerekD]

Going to the DPI website they discuss the difference between bag, possession and boat limits. I have cut out the excerpt below and if my understanding is correct the only time the boat limit applies is to Gemfish. For blue swimmer crabs the personal limit is 20 in possession but you are only allowed to take 10 away with you at the end of the day. The boat limit would depend on the number of licenced people in the boat so if you had 5 people you could take 50 blue swimmer crabs with you.

Recreational fishing rule definitions

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Bag limit

Bag limit is the maximum number of fish per person per day. A maximum daily bag limit of 20 applies to any fish or invertebrate not included in the bag & size limit tables.

Daily bag limits are one of the key tools for managing recreational fishing. They limit the number of fish that an individual angler can catch and keep in a 24 hour period.

Bag limits are typically put in place for a number of biological and social reasons including:

• conserving fish stocks
• sharing the catch between recreational fishers and other users
• encouraging responsible and ethical use of fisheries resources
• assisting in reducing illegal fish sales
• protecting threatened or vulnerable species

Bag limits apply to all forms of recreational fishing for fish and invertebrates, including line fishing, spearfishing, hand gathering, prawn scooping, drag netting, bait collection, and the use of crab traps, nets and lobster pots.

Possession limit

A possession limit is the maximum number of fish that a person is allowed to have in their possession at any time. Possession limits provide a useful tool to discourage illegal sales of fish by constraining recreational fishers from accumulation commercial quantities of fish. For all saltwater species except; Australian Bass and Estuary Perch, Flathead (except Dusky), Bream and Tarwhine, Tailor, Luderick, Trevallies and Blue Swimmer Crab, the daily bag limit is also the possession limit.

Boat limits

Boat limits aim to limit the catch of anglers fishing in the same boat over a 24 hour period. These apply regardless of the number of people in the boat. Boat limits are intended to limit the overall recreational fishing catch and prevent the circumvention of personal daily bag limits by individual fishers through the carrying of non-fishing passengers in a boat. At present, the only boat limit applies to gemfish (10 fish).

[Stapo]

Ok. Thanks boys. That clears it up. Thanks for the help. No I have none left at home as I either gave them away or I ate them all. Lol. 

So im back there tomorrow to try and bag out. 

Cheers Steve.