Crocodiles and sharks are a daily hazard of the job for Josh Taylor and other fishermen who battle some of Australia's harshest environments to catch mud crabs, one of the country's most prized seafood.
Many live in makeshift wooden shacks that offer little in the way of comfort in the mosquito-infested mangrove swamps of the estuaries around the Gulf of Carpentaria.
It may not be surprising that Mr Taylor is one of only 49 licensed mud crab fishermen in the Northern Territory and one of only six who lower their cages into remote King Ash Bay.
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Taylor said he isn't too worried about the dangers lurking beneath his boat, but he knows how quickly things can go wrong.
“One day I was sailing an old boat and I dropped a crab pot along the way and one of the ropes from the crab pot got tangled around my foot,” he said.
“I was going about 30-40 kilometres per hour… and the rope almost pulled me underwater.”
With all his strength he was able to reach out and shut off the motor, avoiding falling overboard at the last moment.
The saltwater crocodile was discovered in the mangroves of King Ash Bay, near Borroloola in the Northern Territory. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“I lost all the hair on my legs and my pelvis hurt for days. I couldn't walk,” he said.
“We've had a few encounters with alligators lurking over the side of the boat, but they've never actually jumped in and tried to capsize the boat… but they're out there.”
He was lucky not to have been more seriously injured as the nearest rescuers were a 30-minute boat ride away.
Taylor, who became a commercial mud crabber four years ago, said despite the dangers he enjoys going out on his boat to catch fish for dinner and returning to the modest cabin he shares with two other fishermen on King Ash Bay.
Josh Taylor lives in a simple hut with two other mud crab fishermen in the mangroves near King Ash Bay. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
The fishing huts are simple and equipped with basic cooking facilities. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
Why Crab Fishing is a Gamble
King Ash Bay is located about 700 kilometres southeast of Katherine, at the confluence of the McArthur River and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Mud crabs burrow beneath the surface in mangrove channels near town, where rivers flow into the sea.
Commercial fishermen are licensed to catch mud crabs in King Ash Bay, where the McArthur River joins the Gulf of Carpentaria. (ABC News: Daniel Fitzgerald)
They are highly prized and sell for $70 to $100 per kilogram to seafood restaurants and retailers across Australia and overseas.
License holders are entitled to use up to 60 pots and can catch up to 10 crabs per pot, making it a potentially lucrative business.
However, this is not always the case.
The crabs are tied up before being stored with up to 30 others and shipped live for export. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
Most crabs are caught during the rising tide during the dry season, from May to October.
But this year's crabbing season has been something of a gamble for those hoping to make a living from the industry, Taylor said.
“I usually get one or two (per pot), but sometimes I get nothing,” he says.
Josh Taylor said some days he'll have three or four crabs per pot, but other days his pots might be empty. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
Fellow commercial mud crab fisherman Ash Garner said this year's catch was 25 per cent lower than last year because of flooding caused by tropical storms Lincoln and Megan, which hit the Borroloola coast in succession.
Flooding has caused the McArthur River to rise to a record high of 15.06 metres at Borroloola, filling mangrove channels around the bay with sand, rocks and soil, forcing crabs to find habitat elsewhere.
Some of the fishing huts were destroyed by a cyclone that hit the Gulf of Mexico in March 2024. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“River levels rose rapidly, washing millions of tonnes of sand into the tidal flats and river bottoms where mud crabs normally live,” Garner said.
Taylor said he and other fishermen in King Ash Bay are currently “looking around to see where they are.”
Fishing lures hang in Taylor's shed. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
Crab fishing is 'really lonely'
Mud crab fisherman U Meng Oon, who emigrated to Australia from Cambodia 35 years ago and relies on the industry to support his family, said this season's low catches and rising costs of fishing licences were making life even harder.
“This year I have zero income and all I get from my job is money for my licence, new catch bags and fuel,” he said.
Yu Meng Oon has been crabbing for 35 years, living in a hut made from tarpaulin and wood. (ABC News: Jean Kohout)
“If you're lucky, you get a little bit of money to support your family, but sometimes you don't make any money, you just lose money.”
Mr Ong said he was unable to find work in any township because he couldn't speak English, so he ended up making a living as a crab fisherman.
“It can be really lonely when you're the only crab fisherman,” he says.
“Sometimes it rains, sometimes there are mosquitoes and sandflies, and you work hard to catch crabs but get nothing.
“But I'm stuck here because my English wasn't good, so when I tried to look for a job, nobody wanted me.”
Yu Ming Oon says life as a crab fisherman can be a very lonely one. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“I like crabs.”
Mr Taylor's journey into mangrove swamps began four years ago when he moved permanently to the Northern Territory from Queensland.
“I love crabs. When I was little, we had a lot of rivers around our house and I was always throwing crab pots in there,” he said.
After working as a concreter and farmer, he jumped at the chance to holiday in King Ash Bay, where he helped out on a mud crab fishing boat.
One bonus of the job is a constant supply of fresh fish for dinner. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“I met some of the boys who were mud crabbers here and also some buddies who helped out on the boat for a week… and I learned how to do the job,” he said.
“Eventually he asked me if I wanted to come back and run the crab fishery.
“So I came home, loaded up my gear and my dog and moved to the Northern Territory.”
Josh Taylor sometimes sleeps on a houseboat in a mangrove channel. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
He understands Mr Ong's sense of loneliness.
He admits finding a partner is difficult because he spends most of the year in a shack or on a houseboat.
“The hardest thing about living in the mangroves is that if you want to commit to living with them, you have to be strong enough to live in the bush with them for about nine months,” he said.
The huts are simple but equipped with cooking facilities and a refrigerator. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“I'm 33 and I need to start a family and find a girlfriend. I don't want to be single forever.
“I just wish we had a little company.”
“No one can bother you.”
William Jacobson is just 15 years old and new to the industry, but he sees his future in the mud crab fishery in King Ash Bay.
Life in Darwin didn't hold much promise for William, so when his father suggested he explore a different lifestyle by working on a crab fishing boat, he jumped at the chance.
William Jacobson (left) and Josh Taylor discovered the allure of mud crabbing after being invited to King Ash Bay. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“I came here and worked for six months and then I worked for another crab fisherman for a year and a half,” William said.
“Now I want to become a professional crab fisherman.
The crabs are tightly tied up before being stored. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“I like to get on the boat and go out and stay out of the way.
“The only thing that's difficult so far is tying the crabs securely, but I'm slowly getting better at it.”
Career change pays off
Unlike Taylor and William, Ash Garner didn't drift into mud crab fishing but diversified away from it.
Garner has lived in King Ash Bay since 2007 and owns King Ash Bay Lodge with his partner, but was forced to change jobs when the tourism industry collapsed during the pandemic.
Mud crabber Ash Garner is also president of the King Ash Bay Fishing Club. (Courtesy of King Ash Bay Fishing Club Facebook)
“We were already running trucks to Darwin so had relationships with the mud crab fishermen (there),” he said.
“Then I contacted some guys and asked if they had any spare crabbing licenses and looked for work.”
It suited him well.
“I've loved fishing since I was a kid,” he said.
Ash Garner's fishing boat outfit. (ABC News: Jan Kohout)
“I left school, came back to Borroloola, qualified in Darwin and built a charter fishing boat.
“Then the mud crab fishery went well, so we invested more and continued fishing.”
Despite the tough season, Garner said he expects next season to be more productive.
“If it continued like this for a few seasons in a row I would be quite worried, but I had a good season last year so it's still OK,” he said.
“Hopefully with some rain this year we can get back on track and bounce back.”
