With school holidays imminent, recreational fishers are reminded that fishing for snapper is only allowed in the South East Fishing Zone.
The waters of the Gulf St Vincent, West Coast and Spencer Gulf regions remain closed to Snapper fishing until 30 June 2026.
Fishing for Snapper in the South East Fishing Zone, where the stock is classified as sustainable, is managed by a Total Allowable Catch, with a recreational daily bag limit of 2 Snapper per person and a daily limit of 6 per boat if there are 3 or more people fishing on board.
Recreational fishers must report the Snapper they catch through the free SA Fishing app or by phoning the Fishwatch 24-hour hotline on 1800 065 522.
PIRSA Director Fisheries Operations, Benn Gramola, encouraged fishers to report caught snapper to Fishwatch currently.
"Reporting catches is currently much easier by calling the Fishwatch 24-hour hotline," he said.
"The app is being updated and the bag and boat limits listed on the 'Report Snapper Catch' screen are incorrect. People also need to submit two reports if fishing from the shore and catch two snapper or from a boat with three or more people and catch more than three snapper.
"This is only a temporary requirement as the app will be sorted soon, just not in time for the school holidays."
About 300,000 snapper fingerlings were released into the waters of Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent over the last 12 months with a further 200,000 to be released in Gulf St Vincent over coming weeks as part of the South Australian Research and Development Institute's (SARDI) work to support the Snapper fishery's recovery.
SARDI is hosting a community event at Black Point, on Yorke Peninsula next week to celebrate the release of thousands of baby Snapper into Gulf St Vincent.
Local community, schools and media are encouraged to attend the event, which will be held at the Black Point boat ramp on Monday 15 April 2024 from 7.30 am to 8.30 am, weather permitting.
The baby Snapper, called fingerlings, have been bred at the Aquatic Sciences Centre at West Beach by SARDI, which is the research division for the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA).
The releases are part of the South Australian Government's $8.8 million support package for Snapper, which will deliver close to 1 million fingerlings to SA waters by the end of the year. The Snapper Recovery Package was announced in December 2022 in response to the depleted status of Snapper stocks.
For more information, see Snapper recovery, contact the Fishwatch 24-hour hotline 1800 065 522, or check out the free SA Fishing app.