Mavis Pearl
Vessel numberHV000847
Builder
Noel Wilson
Builder
Ron Helm
Date1958
Terms
Cray or Pot dinghies of this kind were used in Tasman waters as part of the cray fish industry from 1915 to c. 1970. Professional fisherman used these dinghies inshore off larger boats, where as amateurs used them offshore. In 1925 a newly appointed Sea Fisheries Board legalised the use of craypots and implemented other regulations including limiting the number of pots on a vessel, introducing minimum legal lengths and prohibiting the capture and sale of soft shell juvenile lobsters. The legalization of pots led to an increase in commercial catch and efficiency, the southern rock lobster industry generally resilient during World War One, Two, and the Great Depression. Between 1956 and 1972 there was a particular boom with the number of pots used in Tasmania increasing by 7000.
Mavis Pearl was passed on from Noel Wilson and Ron Helm to the Wisby family in 1980, who then donated it to the Triabunna men's Shed as a restoration project in c. 2014. The restoration of Mavis Pearl was completed by local boat builder, Bernard Wilson and members of the shed meshed in Triabunna to a very high standard. The Wisby family were originally from Bruny Island where the family engaged in professional fishing out of the cray boat Fern, so they were well aware of the value of Mavis Pearl.
Completed with assistance from Peter Higgs ARHV Steering Committee member and Councilor, and with reference to Tasmanian Wild Fisheries Assessments website. A number of Oral History accounts with individuals engaged in the cray fish industry are available via ‘Oral History of the Australia Fish Industry – Tasmania' 1987-021.90-DLD Tasmania.pdf (frdc.com.au) Refer also to Gary Kerr, Crayfishing Around Tasmania: A Fisherman’s perspective. Maritime History Series 7.
SignificanceMavis Pearl is a 14ft cray pot dinghy designed and built by Noel Wilson and Ron Helm in Georgetown Tasmania in 1958. It is built of local King Billy Pine, and features a considerably wide beam for a vessel of its size, 4.5 ft, in order to allow for maximum storage of cray pots. Cray dinghies such as Mavis Pearl were used from 1915 to c. 1970 when the cray industry was particularly profitable in Tasman waters. Cray dinghies deployed off larger vessels, and used inshore. In 2014 Mavis Pearl was donated to the Triabunna men's shed as part of a restoration project, and as of 2023 it is on display at the Spring Bay Maritime & Discovery Centre.
