2012/758 Increase sustainable use of crab fisheries resources by recovering revenue from crabs currently rejected at market

By Mark Boulter

Financial losses on the live mud and spanner crab supply chain into Sydney Fish Market are significant. An analysis of data from the 2010/11 financial year demonstrated that:

1. Mud crabs that were downgraded due to being slow represented 2.8% (around 11 tonne) of product supplied worth $71,238 pa.
2. Mud crab rejections comprising mortalities and CUC (commercially unacceptable crabs) represented 5% (around 19 tonne) of product supplied worth $430,406 pa.
3. Spanner crabs that were dead or slow represented 7% (6 tonne of product) supply and represented a loss of value of approx. $28,000 pa.

SFM is obviously keen to stem these losses and ensure the whole supply chain can redeem as much of this loss as is possible. To that end it has approached the QLD DPI seafood team to develop a research program to address this issue.

Project Objectives

1. To increase the revenue gained from slow mud crabs by $70,000 pa by January 2014
2. To reduce the mud crab seizure rate from NSW coop’s from 9% to the non-coop average of 4.5 %by January 2014
3. To reduce the spanner crab mortality rate from 7% to 3.5% by January 2014