Changes to recreational fishing rules

A number of changes have been made to Queensland fishing rules – these new rules commenced on September 1, 2019.

Please note: Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol will not immediately issue fines for non-compliance with these changes. For the first few months, the focus will be on education and awareness.

Size limits

• Pearl perch – increased from 35 cm to 38 cm
• King threadfin – increased from 60 cm to 65 cm on the east coast
• Mary River cod – increased from 50 cm to 60 cm
• Murray cod – 110 cm maximum limit removed

Possession limits

• Mud crab – reduced from 10 to 7
• Boat limits for mud crab, prawns, snapper, black jewfish, barramundi, shark, Spanish mackerel, sea cucumber and tropical rock lobster – 2 times the possession limit
• Pearl perch – reduced from 5 to 4
• Tropical rocklobster – limit of 5 applies in all Queensland waters
• Blue swimmer crab – reduced from no limit to 20
• Mollusc and gastropod (including pipis) – reduced from 50 to 30
• General limit of 20 for all species without a possession limit (excluding some bait species) – e.g. you can only have 20 butter bream in your possession, as this fish doesn’t have its own prescribed possession limit.
• No limit for following bait species – southern herring, common hardyhead, Australian sardine, Australian anchovy, silver biddy, saltwater yabby, soldier crab and non-regulated worms
• Limit of 50 for following bait species – mullet (excluding diamondscale, sea and freshwater mullet), cuttlefish or squid (excluding tiger squid), smooth-clawed rock crab and yellowtail pike
• Hammerhead sharks and white teatfish – no take
• Oysters (excluding pearl oysters) must be eaten on the spot where they are taken (pearl oysters can be taken away from the site – must be correct size)
• Australian bass – increased from 2 to 5 in dams and weirs under the Stocked Impoundment Permit scheme
• Cribb Island worm (formerly known as blood worm) – limit of 50
• Mary River cod – 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

• Snapper and pearl perch seasonal closure – July 15 to August 15 each year
• Closed waters prohibit take of black jewfish within 200 m from the Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay coal terminals
• Standardised start and end times for most fishery closures – midnight to midnight
• Tinana Creek and its tributaries upstream of Teddington Weir wall closed to all forms of fishing
• Murray cod seasonal closure – August 1 to October 31 each year

Other

• Recreational crab apparatus and freshwater traps must be marked with the surname and address of the person using the apparatus
• 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.

fisheries.qld.gov.au @FisheriesQueensland ‘Qld Fishing’ app 13 25 23