Murray Cray Legal Size

They cannot take or possess female spiny freshwater crayfish with eggs or remove their eggs. Female berry Murray shrimp (carrying eggs – pictured right) should be returned to the water immediately with as little injury or damage as possible. Claws and legs should not be removed from large or crab illegally in berries. Murray Cray has a niche limit. The minimum, measured from orbit to carapace (the large shell on the head and shoulders) is 10 cm and the maximum is 12 cm. Most local fishing tackle stores can provide you with a Murray Cray meter. It`s important to know what equipment you can use to catch Murray spiny freshwater crayfish. You need to know the water you are fishing in, as it depends on the type and amount of nets you can use. Murray Spiny freshwater crayfish have one bag and a property boundary of two, meaning you can`t catch or own more than two crustaceans per person in or near Victorian waters. There is a national property boundary of four, which means you can`t have more than 4 Murray crayfish at any one time in the state of Victoria, regardless of how close you are to a waterway. Crayfish must also be kept whole or in carcass form when kept in, on or near Victorian inland waterways.

One of the many species of thorny freshwater crayfish found in Victoria, the Murray Spiny Freshwater Crayfish, is found in many locations in northern Victoria. Remember to comply with recreational craft regulations and, if illegal fishing activities are observed, contact the 13FISH reporting line (13 3474). Please note that Murray Crays grow extremely slowly and can take up to 9 years to reach the legal length. Stocks there have been rapidly depleted over the past decade due to overfishing, meaning only small sections of the Murrumbidgee and Murray rivers can be legally fished for the Murray Crays. Please follow the above rules and regulations and do not take more with you than necessary. We need to be smart in our fishery to make sure there are high crab populations for generations to come! The Murray Cray is the largest of all Australian freshwater crayfish and is armored with thorns to protect them from large Murray cod. Berried females (carrying eggs or young under their tails) should be immediately returned to the water. There is also a daily limit of two bags per licensed person and a possession limit of four. Cooking your catch is quite easy and the second to last to the best part of crab fishing. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a handful of salt, and then throw into cancer for exactly fifteen minutes, the time can vary, depending on the old man you ask and do not argue, believe me. In most waters, the maximum amount of nets that can be used to catch Murray porcupine crabs is 10.

However, a maximum of 5 inflatable nets per person may be used for the following specified waters. The reduced catch limits (from 5 to 2) also mean that anglers may have to pack other foods if they want good food during their fishing trip. In the short term, this will relieve pressure on cancer populations, and I hope it will allow them to recover. Murray crayfish are estimated to weigh up to 3 kg and are the second largest freshwater crayfish in the world behind Tasmanian freshwater crayfish. The number, size and shape of the equipment used are important. It is also important that your equipment is labeled accordingly. Click here for a summary of fishing gear that can be legally used in Victoria and how to use it. You can keep Murray spiny freshwater crabs only with a minimum carapace length of 10 cm and a maximum of 12 cm. The carapace is measured from the back of the orbit to the next part of the rear edge of the carapace (where the tail is connected to the main body).

Fisheries NSW recently announced major changes to Murray crayfish trapping rules following calls to change the status of this species. Murray`s cancer is now considered endangered in New South Wales. If you want to catch and keep Murray porcupine crab, we recommend the medium to lower range of our large rivers such as the Ovens and Goulburn River systems. Murray Spiny Freshwater Crabs are subject to a closed season, meaning they cannot be caught or possessed on, in or near Victorian waters during that time. The closing season for Murray Spiny Freshwater Crayfish is September 1 to May 31 for waters north of the Great Dividing Range (see map below). The Murray crab fishing season was designed to coincide with its breeding season. This is the time when females carry eggs under their tails (they are said to be “berry”). Our research showed that many large females had not yet laid their eggs in May.