The latest stock assessment for Queensland east coast saddletail snapper (also known as large-mouth nannygai) is now available.
It estimates that the number of saddletail snapper (biomass) in July 2025 was between 19% and 42% of unfished levels, and most likely around 28%.
At 28% of unfished levels, the biomass is lower than it should be. We will begin discussions with the reef line fishery working group about the harvest strategy for this fishery.
Thanks to all the project team members who guided this assessment. The team included a commercial fisher, recreational fisher, Traditional Owner fisher, independent scientist and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority representative.
Their input, along with data shared by commercial and recreational fishers through our monitoring programs, and the use of multiple model scenarios, has provided a greater level of confidence in this biomass estimate, which allows us to manage fish stocks more effectively.
Importantly, this assessment also maintains federal export approval for our commercial sector.
Watch our video for a summary of what’s changed since the last assessment, the key data we used, how the model works and how the stock is doing now.