Hermit crab exporter’s permit sparks debate over wildlife harvesting along Pilbara and Kimberley coast

A hermit crab seller, who collects the crustaceans along the remote Pilbara and Kimberley coastline, has sparked criticism from environmental groups after applying to renew his export licence for selling to international customers. Merv Cooper, a self-described conchologist based in Rockingham, has been selling what he has coined, ‘crazy crabs’ for almost 50 years, collected from beaches between the Exmouth Gulf and Derby, with the main collection area north of Port Hedland. His international export licence expired in December, and if approved, the permit would allow Mr Cooper and his team to harvest and export up to 30,000 hermit crabs annually for the next three years. The application is under review by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. In his proposal, Mr Cooper said his long-standing business follows responsible harvesting and handling practices. “Through many years of experience, the applicant has been able to develop a process for taking, holding and transporting hermit crabs that has reduced the mortality rate during transit to practically zero for the last 10 years,” the proposal reads. “An important part of the applicant’s business plan is to ensure that at all stages of the process from take to retail sales and after sale considerations are taken into account to ensure that the crabs are not subjected to excess rough handling, heat stress, dehydration or lack of nourishment.” Mr Cooper also contends that population numbers in collection areas have remained consistent over the past 20 years, based on anecdotal observations. However, the application has been met with opposition from the Conservation Council of Western Australia and the Animal Justice Party, who question the sustainability of the practice and the welfare of the animals. “While hermit crabs can live for up to 40 years in the wild, those kept in captivity can die far earlier due to incorrect temperature and humidity controls, inappropriate housing, handling stress and lack of access to replacement shells and salt water,” CCWA executive director Matt Roberts said. Currently, there are no approved programs for the commercial export of hermit crabs from Australia. The harvesting of crabs is regulated by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. But the CCWA say the licence does not regulate the quantity legally allowed to be harvested. “While the proponent claims that DPIRD doesn’t consider the species to be in need of formal management plans for protection, there is no clear evidence on the environmental risk to the species from the increased level of harvesting, or the indirect impact to the ecology of harvesting areas, resulting from the removal of large number of crabs from the food chain,” Mr Roberts said. A DCCEEW spokesperson said the department is undertaking an assessment of a proposed wildlife trade operation for the harvest of land hermit crabs against the requirements of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. “Sustainability of the harvest is the primary consideration of the assessment,” they said. “It is anticipated the assessment will be finalised within six months. “If approved, the operator will be able to harvest land hermit crabs (Coenobita variabilis) for the purpose of commercial international export.”