Fish for the future Queensland’s new fisheries regulations start 1 September 2019. A number of changes have been made to recreational, charter and commercial fishing rules to ensure we have fish for the future.
Changes to fishing rules for all sectors
Size limits:
Pearl perch minimum legal size limit increased from 35 cm to 38 cm
King threadfin minimum legal size limit increased from 60 cm to 65 cm on the east coast
Single minimum legal size limit of 60 cm for Mary River cod and Murray cod, and Murray cod maximum size limit of 110 cm removed
Clarified in the regulations that the size limit for giant queenfish in the Gulf of Carpentaria applies to all fishers
Closures
New seasonal closure for snapper and pearl perch – 15 July to 15 August each year
New closed waters that prohibit take of black jewfish within 200 m from the Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay coal terminals
Standardised start and end times for the majority of fishery closures – midnight to midnight
Other
Mulloway and scaly jewfish must be kept whole while on board a vessel
Black jewfish will become a no-take species for all sectors when the total allowable commercial catch is reached
Changes to recreational fishing rules
Possession limits
Mud crab possession limit reduced from 10 to 7
Boat limits for nine priority black-market species will be two times the possession limit – mud crab, prawns, snapper, black jewfish, barramundi, shark, Spanish mackerel, sea cucumber and tropical rock lobster (these boat limits do not apply to charter fishers)
Pearl perch possession limit reduced from 5 to 4
Tropical rocklobster possession limit of 5 applies in all Queensland waters
Blue swimmer crab possession limit reduced from no limit to 20
Mollusc and gastropod (including pipis) possession limit reduced from 50 to 30 2
General possession limit of 20 introduced for all species without a prescribed possession limit (excluding some bait species)
No possession limit for the following bait species – southern herring, common hardyhead, Australian sardine, Australian anchovy, silver biddy, saltwater yabby, soldier crab and non-regulated worms (e.g. mangrove worms)
Possession limit of 50 introduced for certain bait species – mullet (excluding diamondscale, sea and freshwater mullet), cuttlefish or squid (excluding tiger squid), smooth-clawed rock crab and yellowtail pike
Hammerhead shark and white teatfish are now no-take species
Oyster possession limit clarified in the regulations – a person must eat oysters (excluding pearl oysters) on the spot where they are taken (pearl oysters can be taken away from the site but they must be the correct size)
Australian bass possession limit in stocked impoundments increased from 2 to 5
Clarified in the regulations that a possession limit of 50 applies to the Cribb Island worm (formerly known as blood worm)
Mary River cod possession limit of 1 in stocked impoundments expanded to include Wyaralong Dam, Ewen Maddock Dam, Caboolture River Weir, Robina Lakes, Lake Kurwongbah, Enoggera Reservoir and Lake Manchester
Closures
Tinana Creek and its tributaries upstream of Teddington Weir wall closed to all forms of fishing
Murray cod seasonal closure changed to 1 August to 31 October each year
New waters closed to line fishing (or possession of a fishing line) from 1 August to 31 October in the following locations:
o Coomera River (upstream of defined boundary)
o Albert River (upstream of defined boundary)
o Running Creek
o Christmas Creek
o Stanley River (upstream of defined boundary) o Mary River (upstream of defined boundary, excluding Baroon Pocket Dam, Borumba Dam and Lake MacDonald)
Gear requirements
Recreational crab apparatus and freshwater traps must now be marked with the surname and address of the person using the apparatus