Know the rules of crabbing

February 23, 2023

Crabbing is one of Queenslander’s favourite pastimes, but do you know the rules?

There are restrictions in place to protect mud, blue swimmer, spanner and three-spotted crabs from overcollection. Here’s a rundown:

Mud crab:
– Size limit: 15cm minimum
– Possession limit: 7 per person/14 per boat (with 2 or more people on board)
– Female mud crabs must be returned to the water
*Closed waters apply

Blue swimmer crab:
– Size limit: 11.5cm minimum (notch to notch)
– Possession limit: 20 per person
– Female blue swimmer crabs must be returned to the water

Spanner crab:
– Size limit: 10cm minimum
– Possession limit: 20 per person
– Egg-bearing spanner crabs must be returned to the water
*Closed season applies

Three-spotted crab:
– Size limit: 10cm minimum
– Possession limit: 20 per person
– Egg-bearing three-spotted crabs must be returned to the water

For more information on how to measure your catch and the equipment you can use for crabbing, download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app.

Watch the video on Fisheries Queensland facebook on how to measure a crab correctly.