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Ocean Sand Crab occurs around Australia's southerly coastlines from approximately Wide Bay in QLD to Rottnest Island in WA (including TAS). Of the three jurisdictional stocks reported here, those in SA and WA are classified as sustainable, while the NSW stock is classified as undefined.

Ocean Sand Crab is distributed in Australia from Wide Bay in Queensland around the south and east coasts to Rottnest Island in Western Australia, including Tasmanian Waters [Kailola et al. 1993].

The biological stock delineation of Ocean Sand Crab remains unclear. Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the jurisdictional level—South Australia, Western Australia, and New South Wales.

New South Wales

In NSW, Ocean Sand Crab is caught as by-product in the Ocean Trawl Fishery (OTF), mainly from waters north of Coffs Harbour. This fishery has produced > 90% of the catch of the catch of Ocean Sand Crab in NSW since 2009–10. Reported landings declined from 10.5 tonnes (t) (2013–14) to 3.4 t (2017–18) and the 1.2 t landed in 2021–22 was well below the 10-year average landings of 4.2 t. While standardised commercial catch rates (in mean CPUE kg.day^-1) are likely to be the most reliable index of relative abundance for Sand Crab, with these having declined and being below the 10-year average over the last four years, the high standard error estimates limit comparisons of temporal differences in abundance. Recreational catch is unknown [Murphy et al. 2020; Murphy et al. 2022]. 

There is no published assessment of this species, and there are no data available to estimate biomass or exploitation rates. In addition, there is no knowledge on recruitment or harvestable biomass, and there are no defined target or limit reference levels. This prevents assessment of current stock size or fishing pressure. Consequently, there is insufficient information available to confidently classify the status of this stock.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, Ocean Sand Crab in NSW is classified as an undefined stock.

Ocean Sand Crab Biology [Jones and Morgan 1994; Deakin 1996]

New South Wales – Indigenous (Management Methods). https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aboriginal-fishing

New South Wales – Recreational (Catch). Murphy et al. [2022].

Western Australia – Recreational (Catch). 2017–18 boat based recreational catch nil [Ryan et al. 2019]

1. Beckmann, CL, Durante, LM, Graba-Landry, A, Stark, KE and, Tracey, SR 2023, Survey of recreational fishing in South Australia 2021–22, Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture, South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide, SARDI Publication No. F2022/000385-1. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1161. 185pp.
2. Deakin, S 1996, Reproductive biology of the sand crab (Ovalipes australiensis) found in the Farm Beach/Point Longnose area, Honours Thesis- Adelaide University, South Australia. 54 pp.
3. Jones, DS and Morgan, GJ 1994, A field guide to crustaceans of Australian waters. Reed Books, Chatswood NSW, 216 pp.
4. Jones, GK 1995, A review of the catch and effort and fisheries biology of the Coffin Bay Sand Crab (Ovalipes australiensis) fishery, SARDI Reserach Report Series, No. 7. 23 pp.
5. Jones, GK and Deakin, S 1997, Sand crabs (Ovalipes australiensis ), Fisheries Assessment Report to PIRSA for the Marine Scalefish Fishery Management Committee, South Australian Fisheries Assessment Series 97/12. 20 pp.
6. Kailola, P, Williams, MJ, Stewart, PC, Reichlet, RE, McNee, A, Grieve, C 1993, Australian fisheries resources, Bureau of Resource Sciences and Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra.
7. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE and Hughes, JM 2020, The NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program - survey of recreational fishing, 2017/18. NSW DPI - Fisheries Final Report Series No. 158.
8. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE, Hughes, JM and Taylor, MD 2022, Survey of recreational fishing in NSW, 2019/20 – Key Results, NSW DPI - Fisheries Final Report Series No. 161.
9. PIRSA 2013, Management Plan for the South Australian Commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery, PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture, Adelaide, 143 pp The South Australian Fishery Management Series, Paper No. 59.
10. PIRSA 2016, Review of size, bag and boat limits in South Australia's recreational fishing sector, marine and freshwater, Support document for the Management Plan for recreational fishing in South Australia, PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture, Adelaide, 54 pp.
11. Ryan, KL, Lai, EKM and Smallwood, CB 2022, Boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia 2020/21, Fisheries Research Report No. 327 Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia. 221pp.
12. Smart, JJ, Earl, J, McGarvey, R, Feenstra, J, Drew, MJ, Earl, J, Durante, L, Beckmann, CL, Mathews, D, Mathews, JM, Mark, K, Bussel, J, Davey, J, Tsolos, A, and Noell, C 2023, Assessment of South Australian Marine Scalefish Fishery in 2021/22, Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture, South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide, SARDI Publication No. F2017/000427-6, SARDI Research Report Series No. 1184. 259 pp.