Snapper fishing ban in South Australian gulfs and west coast until 2026 as stocks become dangerously depleted
Snapper biomas in South Australia's St Vicent Gulf had dropped an estimated 87% in the five years before the ban.
Image courtesy PIRSA (Primary Industries and Regions SA)
A total closure on snapper fishing for South Australia’s Spencer Gulf, West Coast and Gulf St Vincent, started in November 2019, was extended for another three years in 2022 to July 2026. The state government made the decision with snapper numbers in the gulfs becoming dangerously low.
Controlled snapper fishing was permitted in South Australia southeast regional waters where stocks were assessed as sustainable, during non-spawning between February 1 and October 31 each year. Low numbers of juvenile snapper had been entering the Australia’s Spencer Gulf, West Coast and Gulf St Vincent fishery over a long time, combined with a decline in the overall biomass of the fishery, and a drop in commercial catch rates.
This meant snapper in Spencer Gulf/West Coast was depleted and Gulf St Vincent was, for the first time, classified as “depleting”. Over five years, snapper biomass in Spencer Gulf had dropped by about 23% and biomass in Gulf St Vincent had reduced by an estimated 87%. South Australia's fishers had been taking restrained approach even before the ban with commercial longline fishers catching one third less snapper in October 2018.
South Australian government primary industries minister Clare Scriven announced $8.8 million in support for scientific research and commercial, recreation and charter sectors after the marine scalefish fishery management advisory committee recommended that snapper fishing ban remain. The packages would fund $2.4 million in fee relief for snapper quota holders in marine scalefish fishery and a 50% fee cut in annual licence fees for charter boat fishery licence holders.
Working closely with RecFish SA, the state government would fund $200,000 towards restoring reefs and $1.2 million over two years for snapper restocking. Scriven said: “We will be breeding and releasing close to a million snapper fingerlings into the two gulfs – Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf – over two years and also working with RecFish closely to look at establishing some additional reefs which will provide habitat for snapper. While it’s a difficult decision, it was the only responsible decision to make sure that we have sustainable fishery." The release of 100,000 snapper fingerlings near Port Pirie was announced in 2023.
The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation contributed $2.5 million with an additional $2.5 million from government to go towards a scientific programme to better understand the snapper stock recovery.
