Any person who catches Crayfish (Rock Lobster) in Hermanus for his or her own consumption must be in posession of a permit and it is allowed only in the open season which may change from time to time.For up to date information regarding permits and the open season contact the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism - Marine and Coastal Management Telephone 021-402 3911 or in Hermanus 3122609.
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Crayfish in Hermanus
Like the crab and the shrimp, the crayfish wears its skeleton outside its body like a suit of armour. The proper name for these shell-covered creatures is crustaceans, derived from the Latin word crusta, meaning 'crust' or 'shell'.
As the crayfish grows, the outer shell periodically splits and the soft-shelled animal emerges.The new shell gradually hardens, completing the process known as moulting. With close-set eyes giving it a shifty, criminal look, powerful jaws set in an underslung mouth, and stiff red hair covering eight legs armed with claws, the crayfish is certainly noted for the taste of its flesh far more than for its good looks.
Breeding takes place when the male deposits a gelatinous mass of sperm-bearing fluid on the females breast which is still soft after moulting. After fertilisation , the eggs are extruded and attached to sticky hairs beneath the female's tail, looking like tiny bunches of berries or grapes. From this similarity stems the term 'in berry', which describes the female's condition when she is carrying up to 180 000 fertilised eggs.The eggs hatch in October and November. The microscopic , transparent , leaf-like larvae rise to the surface and are carried into the open sea by currents.
Moulting several times, the larvae take up to 11 months to complete metamorphosis from larvae to tiny crayfish. Only now do they head back to the rocky shallows off the coast.
Living as predators on many kinds of sea-life, but particularly on mussels and urchins, they grow slowly until after four to five years they are sexually mature.
At between seven and ten years the male reaches the size at which he may be caught for human consumption. It takes the female about twenty years to reach this stage.
 "Crayfish")
