With school holidays underway, recreational fishers are reminded that fishing for snapper is only allowed in the South East Fishing Zone and catches must be reported.
The waters of the Gulf St Vincent, West Coast and Spencer Gulf regions remain closed to Snapper fishing until June 30, 2026.
Fishing for Snapper in the South East Fishing Zone, where the stock is classified as sustainable, is managed by a Total Allowable Catch, with a recreational daily bag limit of two Snapper per person and a daily limit of six per boat if there are three or more people fishing on board.
Recreational fishers must report the Snapper they catch through the free SA Recreational Fishing Guide app or by phoning the Fishwatch 24-hour hotline on 1800 065 522.
PIRSA director fisheries operations Benn Gramola encouraged fishers to report caught snapper to Fishwatch.
“Reporting catches is currently much easier by calling the Fishwatch 24-hour hotline,” he said.
“The app is being updated and the bag and boat limits listed on the ‘Report Snapper Catch’ screen are incorrect.
“People also need to submit two reports if fishing from the shore and catch two snapper or from a boat with three or more people and catch more than three snapper.
“This is only a temporary requirement as the app will be sorted soon, just not in time for the school holidays.”
About 300,000 snapper fingerlings have released into the waters of Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent in the last 12 months with a further 200,000 to be released in Gulf St Vincent in the coming weeks as part of the South Australian Research and Development Institute’s (SARDI) work to support the Snapper fishery’s recovery.
For more information on the Snapper recovery go to pir.sa.gov.au/research/snapper_recovery, contact the Fishwatch 24-hour hotline 1800 065 522, or check out the free SA Fishing app.
