Snapper catch limits have been increased in the South East Fishing Zone for recreational fishers from 1 July, The new recreational (non-charter) daily limits for Snapper in the South East Zone are:
Bag limit: 3 Snapper per person per day (combined total of large and small, increase from 2)
Boat limit: 9 Snapper per boat (where three or more people are fishing, increased from 6).
These changes have been made following updated regional catch shares and the ongoing sustainable stock status of Snapper in the South East Fishing Zone.
The mandatory reporting of Snapper catches, as well as the ban on taking Snapper in other regions will remain in place.
Updated information will be made available through the SA Fishing App, PIRSA website, and signage at key fishing locations.
Also from 1 July, a state-wide reduction in the bag limit for Southern Calamari for recreational (non-charter) fishers has come into effect, to help ensure the sustainability of the species.
In response to scientific assessments and recommendations from the Marine Scalefish Fishery Management Advisory Committee (MSFMAC), a temporary reduction will apply to the bag and boat limits for recreational fishers targeting Southern Calamari.
New daily bag limit: 12 per person (reduced from 15)
New daily boat limit: 36 per boat where three or more people are fishing (reduced from 45).
While the bag limits for Southern Calamari have reduced, there remains a combined bag limit for Southern Calamari and Cuttlefish of 15 (of which a maximum of 12 can be Southern Calamari), and a combined boat limit for these species of 45 (of which as maximum of 36 can be Southern Calamari).
The changes reflect concerns regarding localised depletion and declining catch rates in Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent and align with commercial catch limit reductions of 15% and 11% in those zones, respectively.
These changes aim to support the sustainable management of Southern Calamari across the state while ensuring the reductions are equitably applied to each sector.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) is also seeking scientific advice and industry feedback to identify options to achieve reductions in the prawn trawl sectors, where Southern Calamari is taken as a byproduct.
Concurrently, new limits for Yellowtail Kingfish will be implemented for the commercial fishing sector.
Following allocation assessments, a daily limit of three Yellowtail Kingfish per licence has been implemented to bring the commercial fishing sector back within their allocated share of the species. This arrangement has also commenced on 1 July.
For more information see Recreational fishing.