Navigation path
Bag and size limits - tidal waters
The rules for recreational fishing in Queensland are available as a PDF - Recreational fishing size and bag limits for tidal waters in Queensland - September 2011 (PDF, 91 kB).
Changes to the recreational fishing rules for snapper
From 1 September 2011, the recreational bag limit for snapper has been reduced from five to four. A maximum of only one fish with a total length over 70 cm is allowed. The minimum size limit for snapper remains at 35 cm. This applies to all recreational anglers, including fishing from charter boats.
On this page:
- Size, take and possession limits - tidal waters
- Why do we have size limits?
- Why do we have bag limits?
Size, take and possession limits - tidal waters
| Species | Legal size limit (cm) | Take and possession limit | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All cods and groupers | 38 min | Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod species | ||
| Cod and grouper exceptions | ||||
| Camouflage grouper | 50 min 70 max | |||
| Flowery rockcod | 50 min 70 max | |||
| Greasy rockcod | 38 min 100 max | |||
| Maori cod | 45 min | |||
| Barramundi cod | No take | |||
| Potato rock cod | No take | |||
| Queensland grouper | No take | |||
| All coral trout | 38 min | Combined limit of 7 in total of all trout species | ||
| Coral trout exceptions | ||||
| Blue spotted coral trout (Chinese footballer) | 50 min 80 max | |||
| All emperors | 25 min | 5 per species | ||
| Emperor exceptions | ||||
| Redthroat emperor (sweetlip emperor) | 38 min | 8 | ||
| Long nose emperor | 38 min | 5 | ||
| Spangled emperor | 45 min | 5 | ||
| All fusiliers | No limit | No limit | ||
| All parrotfishes | 25 min | 5 per species | ||
| All surgeonfishes | 25 min | 5 per species | ||
| All sweetlips excluding redthroat emperor (sweetlip emperor) |
25 min | 5 per species | ||
| All tropical snappers and sea perches | 25 min | 5 per species | ||
| Tropical snappers and sea perch exceptions | ||||
| Rosy snapper (jobfish) and lavender snapper (jobfish) | 38 min | Combined limit of 8 in total of both species | ||
| Chinaman fish | No take | |||
| Crimson seaperch (small mouth nannygai) and saddletail snapper (large mouth nannygai) | 40 min | Combined limit of 9 in total of both species | ||
| Flame snapper | 38 min | 5 | ||
| Goldband snapper | 38 min | 5 | ||
| Hussar | 25 min | 10 | ||
| Green jobfish | 38 min | 5 | ||
| Paddletail | No take | |||
| Red bass | No take | |||
| Red emperor | 55 min | 5 | ||
| Ruby snapper | 38 min | 5 | ||
| Smalltooth jobfish | 38 min | 5 | ||
| Miscellaneous jobfish | 38 min | 5 per species | ||
| All wrasse | 25 min | 5 per species | ||
| Wrasse exceptions | ||||
| Humphead Maori | No take | |||
| Tuskfish (all species) | 30 min | Combined limit of 6 in total for all tuskfish species | ||
*Coral reef fin fish closures apply. See Closed seasons - tidal waters for details. In addition to individual bag limits for each coral reef fin fish species listed, they all have a combined bag limit of 20. Please refer to the Recreational fishing rules for Queensland - a brief guide - August 2011 (PDF, 681 kB) for more information. For a complete list of coral reef species download the Fisheries Regulation 2008.
| Species | Legal size (cm) | Take and possession limit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amberjack | 50 min | Combined limit of 2 in total of amberjack and samsonfish | |
| Australian bass* | 30 min | 2 | |
| Barramundi | |||
| East coast | 58 min 120 max | 5 | |
| Gulf of Carpentaria | 58 min 120 max | 5 | |
| Bêche de mer (sea cucumber) | No limit | 5 | |
| Bêche de mer exception | |||
| Black teatfish | No take | ||
| Bream (pikey, yellow fin and tarwhine) | 25 min | Combined limit of 30 in total of pikey and yellowfin bream and tarwhine | |
| Blacklip pearl oyster | 9 min | No limit | |
| Cobia (black kingfish) | 75 min | 2 | |
| Cod and grouper | |||
| Blackspotted rockcod (estuary cod) | 38 min 120 max | Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod and grouper species | |
| Goldspotted rockcod (estuary cod) | 38 min 120 max | ||
| Crab | |||
| Blue swimmer | 11.5 min | No limit | |
| Mud | 15 min | 10 | |
| Spanner* | 10 min | 20 | |
| Three-spot | 10 min | No limit | |
| Eels | |||
| Longfin | 30 min | Combined limit of 10 in total of all species | |
| Pacific shortfin (south Pacific) | 30 min | ||
| Southern shortfin | 30 min | ||
| Flathead | |||
| All flathead (except dusky flathead) | 30 min | Combined limit of 5 in total of all species (except dusky flathead) | |
| Dusky flathead (mud flathead) | 40 min 75 max | 5 | |
| Garfish | No limit | 50 | |
| Giant queenfish | |||
| East coast | 50 min | 5 | |
| Gulf of Carpentaria | 50 min | 5 | |
| Golden snapper (fingermark) | |||
| East coast | 35 min | 5 | |
| Gulf of Carpentaria | 35 min | 5 | |
| Goldlip pearl oyster | 13 min 23 max | No limit | |
| Grass emperor (sweetlip) | 30 min | 10 | |
| Javelin | |||
| Barred (spotted grunter) East Coast | 40 min | 10 | |
| Barred (spotted grunter) Gulf of Carpentaria** |
40 min (whole or partally processed length) or 26 min (fillet length) |
10 whole fish or 20 fillets | |
| Silver (small spotted grunter) | 30 min | 10 | |
| Jewfish | |||
| Black (East Coast) | 75 min | 2 | |
| Black (Gulf of Carpentaria) | 60 min | 2 | |
| Scaly jewfish (jewel fish) | 45 min | No limit | |
| Luderick | 30 min | 10 | |
| Mackerel | |||
| Grey | 60 min | 5 | |
| Spanish | 75 min | 3 | |
| School | 50 min | 10 | |
| Shark | 50 min | 10 | |
| Spotted | 60 min | 5 | |
| Mahi mahi (dolphin fish) | 50 min | 5 | |
| Mangrove jack | 35 min | 5 | |
| Mullet | |||
| Diamondscale | 30 min | 20 | |
| Sea | 30 min | 20 | |
| Bivalve molluscs and gastropods (including pipis, mud whelks and cockles), excluding oysters | No limit | 50 | |
| Mulloway | 75 min | 2 | |
| Perch pearl | 35 min | 5 | |
| Prawns | No limit | 10 litres^ | |
| Samsonfish | 50 min | Combined limit of 2 in total of amberjack and samsonfish | |
| Sharks and rays | 1.5 m max | 1 | |
| Sharks and rays exceptions | |||
| Great white sharks | No take | ||
| Grey nurse shark | No take | ||
| Sawfish | No take | ||
| Speartooth sharks | No take | ||
| Snapper | 35 min | 4 with no more than 1 over 70 cm | |
| Swallowtail dart | 30 min | 30 | |
| Tailor | 35 min | 20 | |
| Tarwhine | 25 min | Combined limit of 30 in total of pikey and yellowfin bream and tarwhine | |
| Teraglin | 38 min | 5 | |
| Threadfin (salmon) | |||
| King | 60 min | 5 | |
| Blue (East Coast) | 40 min | 10 | |
| Blue (Gulf of Carpentaria) | 40 min | 20 | |
| Trevally | No limit | 20 | |
| Trochus | 8 min 12.5 max | 50 | |
| Tropical rocklobster #* | No limit | Above 14° south latitude: combined limit of 3 per person/6 per boat in total of all species. Below 14° south latitude: combined limit of 5 per person/10 per boat in total of all species. | |
|
Tropical rocklobster exceptions #* |
11.5 tail min 9 carapace | As above | |
| Wahoo | 75 min | 2 | |
| Whiting | |||
| Summer/sand, goldline and northern whiting | 23 min | Combined limit of 30 in total of these whiting species | |
| Trumpeter (winter whiting) | No limit | 50 | |
| Wolf herring | No limit | 10 | |
| Worms (including part thereof) | |||
| Beach | No limit | 30 | |
| Blood (all worms of the family Eunicidae) | No limit | 50 | |
| Yellowtail kingfish | 60 min | 2 | |
^ A person must not possess prawns with the heads or any other part removed, unless the removal was to process the prawns for immediate consumption.
#* Recreational fishers must not possess live tropical rocklobsters.
*A closed season applies to these species. Please refer to Recreational fishing rules for Queensland - a brief guide - August 2011 (PDF, 681 kB) for more information.
** Fishers should note that the size and bag limits are correct at the time of publishing this page. Fishers should consult the Fisheries Regulation 2008 for updates.
No-take species
- barramundi cod
- Chinaman fish
- humpheaded Maori wrasse
- paddletail
- potato rockcod
- Queensland grouper
- red bass.
- female mud and blue swimmer crabs
- egg-bearing spanner crabs, three-spot crabs, slipper lobsters and tropical rocklobsters (tropical spiny rock lobsters)
- tar-spot tropical rocklobsters (tar-spot tropical spiny rock lobsters). Tar-spots are sperm packets
- all sawfish
- great white sharks, grey nurse sharks and speartooth sharks
- clams in the family Tridacnidae, helmet shells and trumpet shells
- black teatfish.
Note: Whales, porpoises, dugongs, turtles and dolphins are all protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.
Why do we have size limits?
In Queensland, there are limits on the size of fish that can be legally taken for many species. There are minimum size limits and also some maximum size limits.
Size limits are typically based on biological research into each species' reproductive cycles. Minimum size limits generally allow fish to spawn at least once and contribute to the population before they are taken.
However, in some species larger individuals contribute more to the population, which is why maximum size limits apply. For example, most barramundi begin their lives as males and later, as they grow larger, become females. A maximum size limit is applied to protect large females and to allow them to spawn.
Why do we have bag limits?
A bag limit is the number of fish that one person can legally take and keep. These limits serve several purposes. They:
- conserve heavily-exploited species
- conserve species that are susceptible to capture
- share the catch more equitably among anglers
- reduce the illegal marketing of fish
- send out a message promoting ethical and responsible behaviour when using a limited natural resource.
Related information
