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Extract from 
"Traditional Aquaculture Methods"

WUGHERAPUNGANAH (CRAB)

Unfortunately there is very little information recorded about the crabs caught in the nineteenth century by the Traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal People. Wugherapunganah means large crab, and the giant salt water crab of Tasmania weighed between 15-20 kilograms (30-40 pounds) which live in waters over 30 metres (90 - 100 ft) deep. There are a number of references to the women catching crabs, and there are others to women catching both crabs and crayfish of extremely large proportions in the same fishing areas.

In the dictionaries there are a number of words for crabs of different species, but there are no indication if these crabs were eaten though it is quite probable they were included in the diet. Racrerbuedecup was the name for the spider crab, Renorare just means crab, Tudedy is the sand crab and Tayde the small crab. Pudedy is the crab that lived on the land, and perhaps is the name of Tasmania's fresh water crab which were also caught and eaten.

The majority of Tasmania's crabs are found in the estuaries of the Hobart and Huon Rivers and in the coastal areas between Lune River and Eddystone Point.

Tasmania's giant ocean crab which can weigh as much as 20kg and live at a depth greater than 30m

 

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