Crayfishing

Crayfishing = Traditional food source managed for future generations

Discover the benefits of crayfishing, embracing the traditional and sustainably managed food source for generations to come

Red Rock Lobster

Red Rock Lobster, also known as Crayfish or Koura are an iconic species of invertebrate most common in the southern waters of New Zealand. Koura (Crayfish) are typically a dark red/ orange colour on the upper side of their body and a paler orange on the under side. A crayfish body is spiny and can weigh up to 8KG. A Crayfish body can reach lengths of 60cm (excluding the feelers).

Credit: PowerPoint Presentation (mpi.govt.nz)

The Seasons

Successful crayfishing often occurs from June to November. Although you can crayfish throughout the year, the highest catches are mostly in late spring. Crayfish can often be found in large groups of about 50 in and around rocky shores. The large numbers and area helps protect them from potential predators. Which makes crayfishing an interesting and fun challenge.

Tradition

“Crayfish, or kōura, have always been an important food for Māori. Traditionally they were caught by hand or taken in baited pots that were lowered around coastal reefs. In New Zealand commercial crayfishing was slow to develop. During the 1960’s the crayfish export industry boomed, however by the mid 1970’s catches had dramatically reduced due to the long maturity timeframe meant crayfish populations took much longer to recover. Prompting the government in 1990 to put in place the Quota Management System (New Zealand’s system for monitoring commercial fish stocks) for the crayfish industry”.

Credit: Crayfishing – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Sustainable Tips

Tips from MPI to keeping rock lobster (crayfish) a sustainable food source for generations to come:

- Return any protected rock lobster to the sea with care, straight away

- Keep within the size and bag limits

- Quickly measure rock lobsters, as they go blind in sunlight

- Avoid holding rock lobster by their legs or antennae

- Never remove external eggs or the egg-bearing appendages from any rock lobster

- Never leave pots baited and unattended for more than 24 hours

- Never use a spear or device that could puncture rock lobster shells.

Credit: Rock lobster (crayfish): rules and guidelines | NZ Government (mpi.govt.nz)

Crayfish Lifecycle

”The life cycle of spiny red rock lobster is a journey of epic proportions.
After mating, females carry thousands of fertilized eggs under their tails for 100-150 days. In spring, the eggs hatch as tiny larvae that are carried by currents out to sea. For the next one to two years, the larvae are at the mercy of the ocean. Some larvae will drift as far as 1000km offshore. After developing into puerulus – about the size of a small shrimp and transparent in appearance – they begin to swim back to shore. How the puerulus navigate their way back to shore is a bit of a mystery. Following the sound of waves breaking on the coast is one theory. At the coast, puerulus settle in cracks and crevices in shallow water where they will moult and develop into juvenile crayfish. The number of individuals that survive the journey and grow into legal sized crayfish will determine the size of the fishery in years to come”.

Credit: Epic spiny red rock lobster | NIWA

Nutrition + Cooking

Like most other seafoods, crayfish is a good source of low-fat protein. As well as essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Omega 3’s.

There are lots of ways that you can cook crayfish, for tips and tricks visit:

How To: Cook Crayfish - Harbour Fish

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