If you are catching crayfish at the moment you need to check they are not in soft shell. Along the South Coast for the next couple of weeks, male crayfish are shedding their old shell as they grow bigger. It is illegal to take a crayfish when it is in ‘soft shell phase’. If you are not sure how to tell a cray’s sex or what the regulations are, click on https://www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/fishing/fishing-rules/central-area-fishing-rules/. Often one of the last parts parts to harden on a cray body is the panel just above the legs, so check this area.
