as many as you can eat raw with both your ankles submerged. take wasabi and soy.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marron

Marron is a name given to two closely related species of crayfish in Western Australia. Formerly considered a single species, it is now recognised as comprising two species, the critically endangered Cherax tenuimanus, and the species which is outcompeting it, Cherax cainii.[1][2]
Marron are considered a luxury product and are the subject of a developing aquaculture industry in Western Australia and other Australian states. Total Australian production of farmed marron was 30 tons in 1996. In Western Australia, recreational fishing for marron is tightly controlled, with a limited season, permits are required and minimum sizes are enforced.

Try to make sure it's not the critically endangered one

Marron were/are commercially farmed in Kangaroo island [South Australia] But, they have escaped and gone feral, and the locals there tell me its open season anytime you want.
so.....if you want a no red tape feed- you know where to go!

stephen

I wouldn't rely on the Seabreeze Brains Trust when it comes to fisheries legislation. Hell just having marron nets within 50 metres of the water out of season or with no license constitutes an offence. And don't rely too heavily on official 'advice' from fisheries on the subject either. Didn't a commercial fisherman get some wrong advice from fisheries up near Shark Bay a few years back and was sucessfully prosecuted by the same fisheries office when he was fishing in the wrong area based on their flawed advice???

My advice for what it's worth. If its from your own dam and you consume it on the property you can catch and eat all year round, if it's from a public water source/dam/lake/river either don't do it unless it's in season and you have a license, or, don't get caught.

If you tell us where it is we can give you a more informed answer

I reckon its somewhere between Claremont and Canning Vale

japie said...

smicko said...
The critically endangered one is the Hairy from the Margaret River watershed and seeing as how Perca Fluviatilis is now present there I'd reckon they're pretty well knackered.

As to the other species, for the most part in West Oz, they're bloody vermin. Cherax cainii are actually only endemic to the Warren and Donnelly watersheds (maybe the Shannon too??) but that doesn't stop Fisheries acting the Nazi and prosecuting all and sundry for grabbing a feed of what is essentially about as native as a 28, or a bunny for that matter.

It's laughable that you can be prosecuted for releasing the common Yabby (cherax destructor) and crucified for taking WA's own vermin aqua roach.

They need to introduce Murray Cod, Golden Perch and Oz Bass to help control this vile infestation.

#edit.... As to taking them from a metro man made lake? Don't get caught.

How the **** did perca fluviatalis get introduced to WA? They have been acknowledged as a serious pest in NSW for two decades. People will not learn and you are now stuck with them for as long as the rivers have water in them.

Introduced in the late 1800's. Along with Rabbits and Foxes ;)

Assuming you're talking about Perth suburbia, you won't find any Marron at all. They're nearly all Yabbies now, though you'll still find the odd Gilgie amongst them. You won't find Coonacs up there either. There is absolutely NO restriction on taking as many of them as you wish. Keep them alive after catching, and put them in clean water at home. Leave them in clean water (change the water once or twice, depending on the size of your container) for at least 24 hrs and don't feed them anything. They'll be cleaned out enough by then to cook and eat.

I used to help a friend collect them for the aquarium trade. We'd get up 600 in a few hours at night. Fisheries inspectors checked us out several times and were completely satisfied with our catch. The only freshwater crustaceans which are controlled in WA are Marron. Yabbies are feral in WA, hence all seasons are open season.

Yabbies, Gilgies and Coonacs are all outstanding eating, and are, in my opinion, better than Marron. Down this end of the galaxy Coonacs are common in most perenniel puddles and are very drought hardy. They can last up to a decade without water.

These were pretty dark. And the bigger one was pretty big. Could well have been yabbies though I guess.

If it's a free-for-all on yabbies I might have to throw a few nets out and find out.

This afternoon I had a poke around looking for the specifics in the applicable acts and regs, holy cr@p it's a complicated beast, and I never found a definitive answer. Odds on if you are discrete about it you could throw some chook pellets and a few traps and grab a feed from this secret spot and no-one would ever need know.

But as the original post questioned the legalities of it I'd bank on it being illegal unless in season, with a license, legal size etc etc. Its a bit of a contradiction really because if they are in a man made lake they are effectively an introduced species and a pest.

I suspect the regs aren't too specific on where the marron are taken from, whether it be a river, dam, lake, storm water drain or sewerage treatment pond . It probably just refers to 'taking' marron (which takes us back to Mark's earlier post). it's an interesting question though, I'll keep digging and see if I can come up with a definitive answer and something to reference back to.

I once heard a story from maybe 20 or more years ago that a farmer in the Wheatbelt caught some guys poaching marron from his dam late one night. The local sergeant was quite grumpy at having to head out to the farm late at night as it is rightfully a fisheries job. Turned out it was the local fisheries guys doing the poaching, using their work vehicle and gear normally used for catching marron for research purposes. It must have been real awkward trying unsuccessfully to squirm out of that one.

smicko said...
As I said in my initial post Marron (Chirac Cainii) are ONLY native to the Warren and Donnelly watersheds, maybe the Shannon too. ANYWHERE else that you find them in West Oz they are an introduced species, that doesn't stop Fisheries from prosecuting for possession out of season or as stated above, having nets within 50m of the water out of season.

The only way to have Marron in your possession out of season is to purchase them from a licensed seller and have the receipt. You can't even catch them out of your own farm dam and travel with them, they must be consumed on the property.

Correct in every detail!!

Marron are VERY finicky about their environment. Must have correct oxygenation, hardness, temperature, clarity and more. I'll go "he" if you can find even one live one in any swamp, pond or puddle anywhere in the Perth metro area. The only possible exceptions are in a marron farm or, as I did, in aquariums. Whatever way, they'd need to be cared for very well. They won't survive up there without specific care.

Yabbies, on the other hand, will live in any sewer anywhere, and they'll breed up to 3 times a year. It's that level of hardiness that allows them to kill off all the natives.

Now, READ MY WORDS - THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS - SEASON, BAGLIMIT, SIZE OR ANY OTHER CRITERION - WHAT-SO-EVER REGARDING YABBIES, GILGIES OR COONACS. Also, it's not rocket surgery to tell the 4 species apart.

There, did that get through

Chris6791 said...
I once heard a story from maybe 20 or more years ago that a farmer in the Wheatbelt caught some guys poaching marron from his dam late one night. The local sergeant was quite grumpy at having to head out to the farm late at night as it is rightfully a fisheries job. Turned out it was the local fisheries guys doing the poaching, using their work vehicle and gear normally used for catching marron for research purposes. It must have been real awkward trying unsuccessfully to squirm out of that one.

Love it :)

Last one I was aware of involving a farmer:
a new mine starting nearby and all the introduced species - being blokes involved in construction of said mine - stealing coonacs from the farmer's dams at midnight.
Was resolved with a few bulletholes thru the front quarterpanel of the ute. Mine bosses were very curious as to what the blokes did to make them get shot at.... problem solved.

rod_bunny said...

dinsdale said...
Now, READ MY WORDS - THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS - SEASON, BAGLIMIT, SIZE OR ANY OTHER CRITERION - WHAT-SO-EVER REGARDING YABBIES, GILGIES OR COONACS. Also, it's not rocket surgery to tell the 4 species apart.

There, did that get through

ummm might wanna read the new rules from Feb this year...



... not really gonna get a feed from 10 yabbies FFS!


"Marron" are any Cherax species.

Bleedin' 'eck!! I don't believe it! Beaten by 2 months . They used to put out a nice, full colour brouchure with with all 4 of the common fresh water species (Marron, Gilgie, Coonac and Yabbie) with the main points to observe to tell the difference. Any'ow, I stand corrected.

Mark _australia said...


Typical Australia - couple of years for rape or stabbing people, but a $100K fine, and no house no car, etc for taking 1 slightly undersized watercockroach.

Typical Australia - couple of years for rape or stabbing people, but a $100K fine, and no house no car, etc for taking 1 slightly undersized watercockroach. aiding in the extinction of a species.

There I fixed it.

The short answer from a contact at fisheries is you can't take them lawfully from any place unless they are in season, legal size, appropriate license etc etc. The main exception being those on private property and consumed on that property. So no you can't legally nip down and grab some marron from the local storm water drain.