Blue Swimmer Crab
Estuary / Sheltered BayWA's iconic recreational crustacean, found in sheltered estuaries and bays from Geographe up through Cockburn Sound. The Mandurah blue swimmer is a Perth summer institution — Christmas trips out with drop nets and a tinnie are part of the South-West calendar. Sweet, clean white flesh and a fishery managed area-by-area, with separate rules for Cockburn Sound, the Swan-Canning, and the Peel-Harvey.
Blue swimmer crabs (Portunus armatus) are the most popular recreational target in the West Coast bioregion. They live in shallow sandy and seagrass bottoms in sheltered estuaries and bays — the Peel-Harvey Estuary out of Mandurah is the most famous fishery, with strong populations also in Cockburn Sound, the Swan-Canning, Leschenault Estuary at Bunbury, Geographe Bay, and Hardy Inlet at Augusta. The fishery is closed across the West Coast bioregion from 1 September to 30 November each year to protect the breeding stock, and bag and size limits vary by area. Crabs are taken with drop nets, scoop nets, witches hat nets, or by hand — pots are not permitted for recreational use in WA. It's a family fishery as much as anything: drop nets off a tinnie at sunset, scooping in waist-deep water on a Sunday afternoon, or wading the Peel flats with a torch on a still summer night.
Mullet frames, fish heads, chicken necks, fish offcuts, raw chook carcasses
Not applicable — crabs are not taken on lures or rod and line
Drop nets, scoop nets, and witches hat (hoop) nets are the legal recreational gear — crab pots are not permitted. Each net must be tagged with the angler's full name and address on a durable tag attached to the float or frame. Standard drop nets are a wire ring with mesh dropped vertically and a bait clip in the centre; witches hats are a conical net with the entry at the top. A measuring gauge is essential to check the 127mm minimum across the carapace before you put anything in the bucket.
Set drop or witches hat nets in 1–4m of water over sandy or weed-edge bottom, with bait wired into the centre, and leave them to soak for 10–20 minutes before hauling. Pull straight up and steady — a slow lift keeps the crabs in the net. Scooping is the wading game: walk the shallows in clear water on a calm day with a long-handled scoop net and slide it under any crab you spot before it can bolt. Drop undersized or berried (egg-carrying) females back into the water before pulling your next net — this is a legal requirement, not a courtesy. Handle keepers from behind the rear paddle to avoid the nippers.
Warmer months from late spring through summer and into autumn produce the best crabbing, with January and February typically the peak in the Peel-Harvey once juveniles have moulted to legal size. Calm, sunny afternoons are ideal for scooping in the shallows; drop netting works through the day but is often most productive on a slack tide. The annual closure 1 September to 30 November keeps everyone off the water during the breeding period.
Up to 25cm carapace, commonly 130–180mm
Dec–Aug (closed Sep–Nov in West Coast bioregion)
Excellent eating — sweet, clean white meat that is the equal of any crab in the country. Cook live by plunging into boiling salted water for 6–8 minutes depending on size, then chill before picking. The Swan and Canning rivers can carry the toxin-producing alga Alexandrium, so DPIRD advises against eating the guts (mustard) of crabs from those waters; the meat itself is fine.
Rules vary by area and change regularly — check DPIRD before each season. West Coast bioregion is closed 1 September to 30 November. Statewide minimum size is 127mm across the carapace. Cockburn Sound and Owen Anchorage: daily bag limit 5 crabs, boat limit 20 (with four or more Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence holders aboard). Swan and Canning rivers: daily bag limit 5 crabs, boat limit 20 on the same terms. Peel-Harvey Estuary and other West Coast waters outside Cockburn Sound and the Swan-Canning: daily bag limit 10 crabs. Crab pots are prohibited for recreational use; legal gear is drop nets, scoop nets, and witches hat (hoop) nets, each tagged with the angler's name and address. Berried (egg-carrying) females must be returned to the water immediately, as must any undersize crabs — undersized and berried crabs must be released before the next net is pulled. Always check current DPIRD rules — regulations may change.
Carry a measuring gauge and use it on every crab — undersized fines run into the thousands and DPIRD compliance officers patrol the Peel and Mandurah foreshores hard through summer. Tag every net with your name and address before you leave the driveway. A keeper net or insulated tub with seawater keeps your catch alive until cooking — dead crabs spoil fast in the heat. Mandurah's Peel Inlet, the Dawesville Cut, the Swan estuary around Pelican Point, and the eastern shore of Cockburn Sound are the reliable public-access options.