Over two decades ago Dr Burke Hill (in the FIRTA report on Queensland's Mud Crab Fishery) recommended a trial period allowing the take of females provided there was a monitoring programme in place to evaluate the result. Such a trial has not yet been implemented, and while much excellent work on mud crabs has been done in recent years, it is not sufficient to answer the 'big-picture' question of sustainability.

Information based on empirical data is needed to inform the Mud Crab Fishery Management Plan development process. At present there are many points of view about the relevance and need for the SSHP, but there is little hard evidence.

For some years industry has argued for a relaxation of the legislation, bringing it into line with that in NSW and NT. However without scientific evidence management is reluctant to change the status quo, and in turn FRDC has been unwilling to fund the necessary work because of a perception that the recommendations may not implemented. DPI&F is now actively seeking ways to improve the profitability of the State’s fishing industry, and a relaxation of the SSHP has been endorsed by all parties as one way to achieve this aim.

There are two primary issues that need addressing in relation to changing the SSHP – sustainability and profitability. The risks associated with both need to be determined objectively before a decision can be made to progress any investigation into the effects of the policy.

The project aligns closely with the DPI&F joint priorities of industry profitability and sustainability, and directly addresses QFIRAC Key R&D Topic #3 - A critical evaluation of management strategies to optimise the soci-economic value of portunid crab fisheries, particularly in terms of the potential value and/or ecological impact of altering the current single-sex harvest policy in Queensland.