Painted Crayfish (Tropical Rock Lobster)
Reef / TropicalThe painted (ornate-group) tropical rock lobster of WA's north — a spectacularly coloured spiny lobster, blue-green and white-banded, of tropical coral reef from the Pilbara to the Kimberley. A DIFFERENT animal from the southern western rock lobster, but managed under the same Recreational Rock Lobster Licence. Taken by hand or pot on shallow tropical reef, year-round in the north.
The painted crayfish (Panulirus versicolor) is one of the tropical rock lobsters of WA's far north — a stunning spiny lobster banded in blue-green, black and white, with long antennae and the heavily spined shell of the Panulirus group. It's a distinct animal from the western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) that drives the famous west-coast fishery: the painted and the ornate (Panulirus ornatus) tropical rock lobsters live on shallow coral and rubble reef from the Pilbara up through the Kimberley, in warm tropical water rather than the cooler west-coast reefs. Recreationally they're taken on the reef by free-diving and hand-collection or by pot, and unlike the southern fishery the tropical north is open year-round. They share the Recreational Rock Lobster Licence and the core rock-lobster rules. They're outstanding eating, like all the spiny lobsters.
Fish heads, fish frames, whole baitfish (for pots) — though most rec-caught tropical lobster are taken by hand-collection while diving
Not applicable — rock lobster are not taken on lures or rod and line
Pot or hand-collection only. Diving is by hand, blunt crook or hand-held snare — nets and spears are illegal for taking rock lobster. Pots must meet DPIRD construction rules and be tagged with the licence holder's details. Measure every lobster in the water before it leaves the reef.
On tropical reef, the usual rec method is free-diving and hand-collecting — working coral ledges, overhangs and rubble at snorkel and shallow-dive depth, easing a gloved hand or snare around the antennae and extracting the lobster cleanly. Pots baited with fish frames set on rubbly reef edges also take them. Gauge each lobster in the water; berried (egg-carrying) females and undersize animals go straight back. Handle the long, spined shell carefully.
North of North West Cape the tropical rock lobster fishery is open year-round (the seasonal closure applies to the southern western rock lobster, not the tropical species). Calm, clear conditions on small swells make for the best diving on the shallow reef. Work the reef on the lower tides when ledges and overhangs are most accessible.
Up to ~3kg; carapace from 76mm minimum legal size
Year-round (north of North West Cape)
Outstanding — sweet, firm, clean tail meat, as good as any spiny lobster. Plunge live into boiling salted water, or split and grill over coals with garlic butter. The shells make excellent stock or bisque.
A Recreational Rock Lobster Licence is required to take any rock lobster, including the tropical (painted and ornate) species. Minimum size: 76mm carapace length. Daily bag limit: 4. Take by pot or by hand/blunt crook/hand-held snare only — no nets or spears, and scuba/hookah are not permitted for taking rock lobster. Berried (egg-carrying) females must be returned to the water immediately, and lobsters must be measured before leaving the water. (Note: the seasonal closure and tail-tagging rules of the southern western rock lobster fishery differ — the tropical fishery is open year-round.) Always check current DPIRD rules — regulations may change.
Painted and ornate tropical rock lobster are a northern, tropical-reef catch — Pilbara and Kimberley coral reef, not the metro and mid-west grounds of the western rock lobster. Carry a registered lobster gauge and measure every animal in the water. Don't confuse the licence rules: you still need the Recreational Rock Lobster Licence, but the tropical fishery runs year-round. Watch the spines when handling, and never take berried females.