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Bag and size limits - tidal waters
Changes to and fishing rules including bag and size limits have been in place since 1 March 2009
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
The following legal limits are effective from 1 March 2009 (except limits that apply to sharks and rays that are effective from 1 July 2009, and size limits for pikey and yellowfin bream, tailor and tarwhine that come into effect on 1 March 2010).
| Species | Legal size (cm) | Take and possession limit | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All cods and groupers | 38 min | Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod species | ||
|
Cod exceptions | ||||
| Blackspotted rockcod (estuary cod) | 38 min 120 max | |||
| Camouflage grouper | 50 min 70 max | |||
| Flowery rockcod | 50 min 70 max | |||
| Goldspotted rockcod | 38 min 120 max | |||
| Greasy rockcod | 38 min 100 max | |||
| Maori cod | 45 min | |||
| Barramundi cod | No take | |||
| Potato 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 | ||||
| Red-throat 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 for 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 for 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 | ||
The 2009 coral reef fin fish closures are under review. 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 and regulations for Queensland: A brief guide (PDF, 532 kB) for more information. For a complete list of coral reef species access the Fisheries (Coral Reef Fin Fish) Management Plan 2003 at http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/.
| Species | Legal size (cm) | Take and possession limit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amberjack | 75 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 | 60 min 120 max | 5 | |
| Bêche de mer (sea cucumber) | No limit | 5 | |
| Bêche de mer exception | |||
| Black teatfish | No take | ||
| Bream (pikey and yellow fin) | 23 min (25cm from 1 March 2010) | 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 | |
| Crab | |||
| Blue swimmer | 11.5 min | No limit | |
| Mud | 15 min | 10 | |
| Spanner* | 10 min | 20 | |
| 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 | No limit | |
| Golden snapper (fingermark) | |||
| East coast | 35 min | 5 | |
| Gulf of Carpentaria | 35 min | 10 | |
| Goldlip pearl oyster | 13 min 23 max | No limit | |
| Grass emperor (grass sweetlip) | 30 min | 10 | |
| Javelin | |||
| Barred (spotted grunter) | 40 min | 10 | |
| Barred (spotted grunter) Gulf of Carpentaria | 40 min | 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 120 max | 5 with no more than 2 over 100 cm | |
| 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) | 60 min | 5 | |
| Mangrove jack | 35 min | 5 | |
| Mullet | |||
| Diamondscale | 30 min | 20 | |
| Sea | 30 min | 20 | |
| Molluscs and gastropods any - excluding oysters | No limit | 50 | |
| Mulloway | 75 min | 2 | |
| Perch pearl | 35 min | 5 | |
| Prawns | No limit | 10 litres# | |
| Samsonfish | 75 min | Combined limit of 2 in total of amberjack and samsonfish | |
| Sharks and rays (effective from 1 July 2009) | 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 | 5 | |
| Swallowtail dart | 30 min | 30 | |
| Tailor | 30 min (35 min from 1 March 2010 | 20 | |
| Tarwhine | 23 min (25 cm from 1 March 2010) | 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* (tropical spiny rocklobster Panulirus ornatus) | 11.5 tail min 9 carapace min |
North of 14° south latitude: 3 per person/6 per boat. South of 14° south latitude: 5 per person/10 per boat. | |
| All other Panulirus species | No limit | As above | |
| Wahoo | 75 min | 2 | |
| Whiting | |||
| All whiting (except trumpeter whiting) | 23 min | Combined limit of 30 in total of all whiting species (except trumpeter whiting) | |
| Trumpeter (winter whiting) | No limit | 50 | |
| Wolf herring | No limit | 10 | |
| Worms (including part thereof) | |||
| Beach | No limit | 30 | |
| Blood | No limit | 50 | |
| Yellowtail kingfish | 60 min | 2 | |
*A closed season applies to these species. Please refer to Recreational fishing rules and regulations for Queensland: A brief guide (PDF, 532 kB) for more information.
No-take species
- Barramundi cod
- Chinaman fish
- Hump-headed Maori wrasse
- Paddletail
- Potato rockcod
- Queensland grouper
- Red bass
Other no-take species include:
- Female mud and blue swimmer crabs
- Egg-bearing spanner crabs, slipper lobsters and
tropical rocklobsters (tropical spiny rock lobsters) - Tar-spot tropical rocklobsters
(tar-spot tropical spiny rock lobsters) - 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.
Resources
- Table of size, take and possession limits (PDF, 223 kB)
Includes the size, take and possession limits for both fresh and tidal waters.
Related information
