More About Catch, Bag And Boat Limits

The Recreational Fishing Guide has an easy reference guide to minimum lengths, bag and boat limits for freshwater fish, shellfish, rock lobster and marine fish.

You can also get brochures that give information about fishing in South Australia.


Legal minimum lengths

Scientists have studied the life cycle of important fish species for many years to determine whether a fish of certain length has reached sexual maturity and is able to breed. 

Fisheries managers use this information to set minimum (and in some cases, maximum) lengths for fish species. In many cases, this means that the minimum legal size is set to allow all fish of the species to reach sexual maturity and to have at least one opportunity to breed.

Although female fish produce many eggs, few will survive to grow into adult fish. It is important that small fish are returned to the water as quickly and carefully as possible to maintain a breeding stock of sufficient size to be able to produce sufficient eggs for the stocks to continue in the future.

Removing one or two undersize fish might seem insignificant, but remember there are many other fishers who are trying to catch a feed of fish. If everyone takes one or two undersize fish, a few will become many!

Legal minimum lengths do not apply to some fish, such as highly migratory species where only a small sector of the population is vulnerable to fishing. Research has indicated that not enough fish of these particular species are caught to threaten the continuation of the species, so limits do not apply.

Bag limits

The purpose of limiting the number of fish that can be taken in any 24 hour period (bag limit) is to make sure we leave enough fish to maintain an adequate spawning population.

Bag limits also help to make sure that all fishers can get a reasonable share of the available resource. They also help in policing fish-thieving activities, conducted by some unlicensed fishers who illegally sell their catch.