An initiative of the co-op, Hunter Local Land Services supported Wallis Lake fishermen to trial and refine size-specific “escape gaps” in traps for mud crabs and blue swimmer crabs with the help of researchers from NSW DPI Fisheries and the University of Newcastle.

The co-op received funding from the Sydney Fish Market to increase the number of crab traps with escape gaps being used by co-op members and demonstrate to recreational fishers the benefits of the traps to help protect crab stocks.

Wallis Lake has one of the biggest catches of blue swimmer crabs on the East Coast and estuary and marine officer Brian Hughes said protecting future stocks in this important estuary was vital.

“The new traps are designed to allow undersized crabs to escape via fitted gaps in the netting, which legal sized crabs are too large to fit through,” Mr Hughes said.

“Research has shown escape gaps in netted round traps, reduces the amount of undersized catch by 51-100 per cent,” he said.

“The beauty of this design is it can be retrofitted to existing traps, or purchased on new equipment.”

To date escape gaps have had a relatively low level of uptake by fishers.

“Unfortunately there are not many fishers in NSW currently using escape gaps in traps, but now Wallis Lake commercial fishers are leading the way.

“We’re hoping launching this new style of trap and explaining the supporting research will encourage more widespread use in our estuaries, which will help secure healthy crab stocks into the future.”

Local commercial and recreational fishers are invited along to the launch of the new crab trap design at Wallis Lake Co-op, at 11am on Thursday.

One-on-one demonstrations on installing the product will be available for interested fishers.