FROM TASMANIAN FERRY TO ALBANY fishing vessel

The Roy Larsson, one of Mulataga’s fishing craft, is based in Albany, on the coast of southern Western Australia. Starting out its life as a Tasmanian fisher and ferry, the boat now ventures out on trips ranging from two to ten days, depending on weather and haul. Designed for heavy weather, it has a steel frame and upper wheelhouse where the skipper sits. Storms can be violent in this region and with these features the Roy Larsson is better equipped than most boats. ‘For this kind of work and in this area,’ Dennis Gaunt explains of the Rainbow Coast, ‘you need a vessel and people with character’. It is hard and dangerous work.

The crew of Roy Larsson take her up to 50 kilometres offshore to retrieve the crayfish pots planted around the sea floor. The catch can vary between 20 and 200 shellfish per trip, and is stored in a saltwater-filled hold beneath the lower deck of the boat. Before the crew shift the catch to the storage area, they clamp the crustacea’s claws; a king crab is capable of lopping off a human finger in a second.

Every catch is logged, including the depth at which each species of shellfish was found, and latitude and longitude bearings. Each species has a restriction on minimum weight or length, set by the Department of Fisheries, and must be returned to the ocean should they not meet these standards, keeping the ocean’s stores at healthy levels.

The Roy Larsson in Albany, Western Australia