Was out saturday morning and i have never seen so many boats and waders. Add this to the christmas and new year flogging they copped and i just cant see how this level of fishing pressure can be sustainable. I think something needs to change or the fishery is sure to collapse.

 Seeing how it gets flogged on normal weekends I could just imagine. The fisheries need to close the area for at least 1 season to give the crabs a chance to recover

I think there needs to be a more long term solution than just closing the season for a year. That may help stocks build but then they will just get smashed again when they can be targeted. I think maybe introducing a license fee to start with and see how that goes. 

 I went out twice and not one crab. It's fished out.

 Went to mandurah last weekend got our 20 no problems middle of the day no worries everyone was bagging out within a few hours with nets the scoopers seemed to be doing alright too .crabs are prolific breeders so can handle a fare bit of fishing pressure  i think we have more than enough restrictions on us as it is without wishing for more.

Please no more licenses. Just increase the min size limit by 10mm or so that should do it 

Did 3 pulls for 8. Saw many but we were shallow and spooking them - 1.1 to 1.4 deep. Snorkeling the go.  

No more licences I just about have to take a filling cabinet in my boat to keep all the permits, licences etc on board

I'd be willing to bet that for every boat you have taking home 20 crabs you have 3 cars/vans all taking home 50-80 crabs. Need a car limit of 20.

If it meant that the RFBL covers all crabbing then sure have a separate crabbing licence for land based crabbers  

 Don't know what all the talk of new licenses and other restrictions is all about crabed last weekend and same time last year bloody hundreds of crabs and crabers both times with heaps of small ones still about for next time size and bag limits working well it would seem. Don't know if I could be bothered driving from where I am for five from the swan and about bloody time they opened cockburn back up.

 Didn't have a problem getting a feed today. However, a pro fisherman pulled up not far from me and bombed the area with about 50 pots. Don't think that would be doing it any good!

 Yep, I have a real problem with the inequity of boaties having to be the only people fishing to have a licence, Marron and Abs excluded.  And also agree there should be possession limits for crabs as we all know it gets abused to no end. 

Over a couple of glasses of a nice white wine last night with some friends the subject of crabbing came up and then a good conversation ensued about the fairness of using a boat to catch crabs and the use of a car to get you to the crabs.
This conversation went on for about an hour or so and in the end I formed the view that there is social justice in placing limits on people with crabs (fresh caught) in the car. The limit being the same as a person has placed on them when using a boat.
20 crabs per boat then 20 crabs per car regardless of number op people in the car. You don't have a specific licence to catch crabs and I would not like to see one introduced hell, there are enough licences out there already.
However, this would IMO be a good tool to use to keep people from taking very large amounts of crabs when other members of the public are restricted, and for good reason IMO.
As has been mentioned by jackfrost it's my understanding that people who don't use a boat can quite lawfully take 10 crabs each (please correct me if I'm wrong) I don't think that's fair crack of the whip for those that use a boat to catch crabs.

So, at the end of the day I have come to the view that a limit on the amount of crabs you may have in your car would not be a bad new constraint on the catching of crabs regulations.
The need to have some control over the amount of crabs being taken needs to be over seen and have limitations placed on it.
No new licences required or fees.
Spring more road blocks for stop and search activities.

 marroning costs you for compliance officers to keep an eye on you with roadblocks and regularly get checked at the beach when we come in( Can't call our facilities ramps)RFBL fees at work, so why should crabbers not pay a fee to cover some of the cost to get more roadside inspections?

The general public (you and me) tend to get very upset when you have something for free and then the government turns around and introduce a charge for it. It's also a very good way to make sure you are not elected at the next election, when the gov brought in the new rules on crabbing they didn't bring in a new licence and fee, they IMO did everything but, boat regos up, licences for other fishing activities up, I think they thought enough is enough we are getting enough revenue out of boat owners now we will give it a break until after the next election.

 Living down here and seeing the amount of people out on the special weekends and public holidays does make me concerned about the crab numbers. We fished Robert's Bay Area on Oz Day and there must have been around 60 other boats with similar ideas. Dont know what the area around Yunderup/Murray River/Serpentine River entry would have been like because there is a theory around Mandurah now that the crabs are all there. Looked like heaps going home looking that way.

But like mentioned above this is nothing new and in years gone past with no limits they copped a large hammering and led to bag limits/the cut to prevent a collapse.

A few pros I know still feel there is enough and their number is declining also due to restriction/licence buybacks.

Pattern noticed every year. Season opening you will always find some decent crabs. Suspect these big boys are last years breeders. This very quickly drop off to only a few big ones and stacks of small ones until some warm weather. This years HOT December didnt increase the size as much as I suspected, but like previous years up to about mid Jan it can be hard work to get a feed. After that it is relatively easy until mid march.

But having once observed and reported some dodgy activities - boat trekking back into shore multiple times dropping crabs off to about 10 cars I agree a crab limit per car like the boat limit is a fantastic idea. This particular bunch got caught with 120 crabs, not all legal size, using and illegal method to catch crabs (the way the boat was used to transport crabs and catch them) and fined big time. 

We need to see more of that and the extra revenue a crab fishing from shore licence would bring would hopefully increase that patrolling. But cant see that happening. So a 20 car limit would be great, but how often do we see the Fisheries check? Seen this once in a co-agency police/fisheries stop on the freeway at the truck weighbridge going north. But then I dont travel that way often so cant comment.

JMO.

my take on it if i could change the rules for crab management would be

increase size limit up to 135mm carapace from 127 equals bigger crabs better crabs imo

possesion limit to be the same 20 max for either boat or car regardless of how many onboard

increase fishwatch response times , and target known illegal practices in mid to late evening

hezzy

The pro licences are being bought back by the government, may take a couple of years but I would of thought this would help the stock levels alot.

https://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Species/Blue-Swimmer-Crabs/Pages/Blue-Swimmer-Crab-Commercial-Fishing.aspx

 Maybe need one in the estuary