Fisheries Research Report No. 258, 2014 Assessment of blue swimmer crab recruitment and breeding stock levels in the Peel-Harvey Estuary and status of the Mandurah to Bunbury Developing Crab Fishery D. Johnston, A. Chandrapavan, B. Wise, N. Caputi Fisheries Research Division Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories PO Box 20 NORTH BEACH, Western Australia 6920 1390/14 Correct citation: Johnston, D., Chandrapavan, A., Wise, B. and Caputi, N. 2014. Assessment of blue swimmer crab recruitment and breeding stock levels in the Peel-Harvey Estuary and status of the Mandurah to Bunbury Developing Crab Fishery. Fisheries Research Report No. 258. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. 148pp. Enquiries: WA Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, PO Box 20, North Beach, WA 6920 Tel: +61 8 9203 0111 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.fish.wa.gov.au ABN: 55 689 794 771 A complete list of Fisheries Research Reports is available online at www.fish.wa.gov.au © Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. October 2014. ISSN: 1035 - 4549 ISBN: 978-1-921845-80-2 ii Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 258, 2014 Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 1 1.0 General Introduction .................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Physical description of Peel-Harvey Estuary ......................................................... 5 1.2 Peel-Harvey Estuary commercial