Crabbing is a traditional WA pastime. Many Western Australian cities are based on
estuaries where crabs thrive, and here in Perth, on any given morning or
evening you’ll see fisherman on the Swan or Canning Rivers dropping crab nets
from their tinnies (tin boats).
We go crabbing at least a few times each summer. Catching a crab is much easier than preparing
one for a meal. You don’t need a boat to
catch a crab; although that’s the only way I’ve ever done it. According to Shane, there are three ways to
catch a crab: on a boat using drop nets,
wading through the water with a handheld scoop net, or by chasing them. If you’ve seen the fierceness of a crab’s
claws, then you’ll understand that the first option is the more comfortable and
safer one.
Drop nets have a small central pouch where you store the crab
bait which may include raw chicken, organ meat, or lamb to name a few. The net which sits on the floor of the
estuary is connected to a rope affixed with a buoy. Drop several nets in a straight line several
meters apart, have a yarn (chat) and a beer, and then pull the nets up about 20
minutes later in hopes that they contain a crab or two. You must pull fast or
else you risk the crabs swimming out of the net.
Last weekend we went crabbing on the Peel Estuary in
Mandurah about 45 minutes south of Perth.
Within 2 hours we caught 20 crabs of legal size. Female crabs with egg sacks must also be
released. Egg sacks are easily visible
at the rear of the body. Female crabs
also have smaller claws and are browner in color, while male crabs are bluer. I did not know until I first went crabbing 12
years ago that crabs don’t turn red until cooked. Female crabs also have a different patterned
belly which includes blue markings.
I still get a bit squeamish throwing a living crab into a pot
of boiling water but ten minutes later, they are red and dead and the real fun
begins. A big mess and a lot of effort
is required to crack and clean a crab and you’re usually left with little to
show for. But there’s a bit of
excitement that comes with catching your own meal and controlling the full
supply chain of what you eat, especially when it’s something as treasured as
crab legs.
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| putting bait in the drop net |
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| pulling up a drop net with a crab |
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| into the bucket |
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| into the bucket |
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| hanging on |
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| what a beauty |
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| measuring the crab to ensure it's of legal size for keeping |
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| 20 crabs. Note the female on the right with the blue belly. |
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| red, dead and ready to pulled into pieces |
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| crabbing with scoop nets |
