Leeman crayfishing industry
Someone asked about the cray fishing situation in Leeman a few weeks back and after chatting to a few people I can advise (sorry I forget who it was).
There are still about a dozen active boats out there and this year has been a great year. There are heaps of good sized adult crays but there are big concerns as there are not many juveniles around so they are expecting slim pickings in the future.
I saw two boats come in at Coolimba - the first one had 4 crates and the second 8 crates.
Speaking to the lady helping to unload - the bloke with 8 crates had the same the day before. Those 8 crates produced 243kg of Cray @ $42 per kilo.
Not bad for a days work - but I guess you have to consider a limited season and big expenses.
Anyhow, things are good up that way...for now.
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
We saw
quite a few boats come in at the Town Jetty while we where up Bushy after the 11th April till we left just under three weeks later. One boat brought in 14 boxes not bad and apparently the pro fisherman did well also.
Had a phone call from one of our friends up there Sunday (Mothers Day) and the amateurs are having a bad run going to pull pots and fishing. Apparently the swell and surge to put boat on or go fishing was bad. No fish either.
We sat at Coolimba also and watched one of the two boats you mentioned, nice spot there, but haven't driven north on the beach there yet.
Dumper Bay no pro boats and all the houses are empty, seems they have all pulled out of there. Said to old fart, good spot for campers.
Ginger Tablets Rock
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
Well well well, they keep
Well well well, they keep taking the big breeders and now they noticing not many juves in the catch ( the old kakers they always tossed back), the Warning Bells must be the size of elephants balls by now or are we going to kill this industry off with one final big pig-stick-in-a=barrel.
Last years low plurus counts ( sorry spelling sux's today) was a heads up of the issues to come and the fisherman said..Hooohoooaaaa what cr@p ,,,see we getting tons of big boys...
Well next few years may be the death of the majority of the cray fleet if they did kill off the golden goose for good this time!
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
carnarvonite
Posts: 8708
Date Joined: 24/07/07
C zone
I thinks its called C zone, from Green head down to Cape Lleuwin closed last week some 7-8 weeks early as they had caught their allotted quota. Going to be hundreds of unemployed deckies, truck drivers, depot hands and process workers looking for new jobs.
There are lots of experienced deckies who usually make enough during the season to carry them over the regular off season but with an extra 2 months to provide for its not going to happen. These deckies are the mainstay of the fleet teaching the newcomers each year and now most will give the game away and get shore bound jobs that provide a regular income.