The recreational pipi (Goolwa Cockle) season kicks off from Sunday 1 November with the maximum daily bag limit cut from 600 to 300 pipi per person.

During 2008, recreational fishers were asked to voluntarily observe a reduction in the maximum daily bag limit from 600 to 300 pipi per person. PIRSA Fisheries have since made the appropriate fisheries management changes meaning these limits are now enforceable by law.

To help fishers ensure they are taking only legal sized pipi, PIRSA Fisheries has developed a new plastic measuring gauge which is available from PIRSA offices and local tackle shops.

Fishcare Volunteers and Fisheries officers will be visiting pipi fishing locations handing out the new gauges as well as answering any questions people may have in relation to size and bag limits.

Pipi rules at a glance

• Minimum size 3.5 cm
• Maximum recreational daily bag limit 300
• Closed season from 1 June to 31 October inclusive
• Recreational fishers are not permitted to sell or trade their catch
• Recreational anglers are not permitted to take pipi on the Younghusband Peninsula between the River Murray mouth and Kingston SE jetty (Coorong Beach)
• Commercial fishers are not permitted to take pipi between the River Murray mouth and Port Elliot

South Australia’s annual closed season for snapper will again take place this year during the month of November.

The closure will commence from midday on Sunday 1 November and continue through to midday on Monday 30 November for all recreational, commercial and charter fishing sectors.

Fishers are not permitted to target snapper at all during this period and any snapper accidentally caught during the closure must be returned to the water immediately. 

PIRSA Fisheries General Manager Fisheries Management Kelly Crosthwaite said that the annual closure is essential in ensuring the sustainability of the snapper fishery.

“Whilst the closure only takes place for one month, this short period allows a proportion of larger, mature fish the freedom to migrate and aggregate in readiness to spawn during the spawning period.

PIRSA Fisheries Officers will be paying particular attention to snapper fishing hot spots throughout the closure to ensure all fishers comply with the restrictions.

With Spring upon us, PIRSA Fisheries has issued a reminder to recreational fishers of the strict regulations that apply to blue swimmer crabs.

Blue swimmer crabs are traditionally a popular target at this time of year as the weather warms up and they begin to move closer to the shoreline of Gulf St Vincent.

Regional Manager Central South Randel Donovan said that strict size, bag and boat limits apply to blue swimmer  crabs to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fishery.

“At this time of year we traditionally start to see a lot more recreational fishers along the beaches of upper Gulf St Vincent specifically targeting blue swimmer crabs,” Mr Donovan said.

The regulations relating to catching blue swimmer crabs are a daily bag limit of 40 per person and a daily boat limit of 120 (combined limits with sand crabs). A minimum size limit of 11cm width measured across the carapace from the base of the largest spines also applies. It is also illegal to take female crabs with eggs and they must be returned to the water straight away without harm.

The northern zone rock lobster season opens from midday on Sunday 1 November.

PIRSA Fisheries General Manager Fisheries Management Kelly Crosthwaite said it is important that fishers do the right thing and play by the rules to ensure the fishery remains sustainable for the future.

“The season starts at midday on 1 November, so it is important that fishers do not put their pots in the water prior to this time or they risk expiation,” she said.

Rock lobster pots must be registered with PIRSA Fisheries and have a current registration tag attached before they can be legally used in South Australia. A maximum of two pots per fisher can be registered at selected PIRSA Offices or on-line at www.pir.sa.gov.au/fishing.

Northern zone rock lobster rules at a glance:

• Minimum length is 10.5 cm
• Daily bag limit is four
• Daily boat limit is eight
• The northern zone covers the area from the mouth of the River Murray to the Western Australian border, including Kangaroo Island.

PIRSA Fisheries Officers are urging all recreational fishers to stick to the rules while fishing for blue swimmer crabs following a patrol of popular crabbing beaches during the last weekend of September.

Fisheries Officers checked more than 250 fishers and as a result, over 30 expiation notices were issued. In excess of 1500 blue swimmer crabs were seized and returned to the water from fishers who had either taken crabs under the legal size or exceeded the bag limit.

The recent operation covered all beaches from St Kilda in metropolitan Adelaide, around the top of Gulf St Vincent to Stansbury on the Yorke Peninsula. 

PIRSA Fisheries Regional Manager, Paul Faithow said while the majority of recreational fishers were found to be doing the right thing, it was disappointing to see some weren’t abiding by the rules.

“People who think that it is acceptable to take undersize crabs and exceed the bag limit are damaging the fishery for everyone,” he said.

Fisheries officers are often asked of the rules that apply to the use of rock lobster pots in South Australia

At a glance, the rules for rock lobster pots are:

• A person may only operate a maximum of two rock lobster pots
• Pots must have a current PIRSA issued registration tag attached
• A red float must be attached to the pot 
• Floats must not display any commercial fishery numbers
• A person can not operate a pot not registered in their name.

Any person therefore found setting or retrieving a rock lobster pot not registered to them, faces on the spot fines or prosecution.

Fisheries officers removed a record number of unregistered devices during the 2008/2009 rock lobster season and continued to detect fishers operating more than two rock lobster pots.

When fishing for squid, people are often confused about how many rods, hand lines and teasers each person can use.

Under South Australian regulations, people may use up to two rods, or two hand lines (or one of each), plus one teaser line when fishing for squid.

Rules about the number of rods, lines and teasers are particularly important when there is limited room to fish. 

PIRSA Fisheries urges all recreational fishers to show common courtesy to fellow anglers when fishing from jetties and wharves so that there is room for everyone to enjoy fishing.

A Moonta Bay man has been convicted and fined more than $900 in the Kadina Magistrates Court for exceeding the daily bag limit for King George Whiting.

Under South Australian fisheries legislation recreational fishers must abide by a series of maximum daily size, bag and boat limits which aim to protect the sustainability of our fish stocks.

For King George Whiting, the daily bag limit is 12 per person and the maximum boat limit is 36 (when three people are on board).

Shane Hobbs pleaded guilty to the charge of exceeding the daily limit for King George Whiting and was fined a total of $955.

Fisheries Officers observed Mr Hobbs’ activities at Port Hughes on 31 March 2009 as a result of information provided via the FISHWATCH number.