SPANNER IN THE WORKS

SPANNER crabs are found from the central Queensland coast as far south as Jervis Bay. In south east Queensland they are a popular target for both commercial and recreational fishermen. Catching spanner crabs requires specific gear, unlike the more conventional crab pots used for sand and mud crabs. Where I live, on Queensland’s Gold Coast, we catch most of our spanner crabs in 40 to 60 metres of water on the sandy stretches between the offshore reefs. They are quite prolific in some areas, and it is generally fairly easy to catch a bag limit of 20 crabs per person. The minimum legal