Snapper stocks in South Australia will be boosted when 100,000 baby Snapper are released into the Spencer Gulf, near Port Pirie.
The baby fish, known as fingerlings, have been bred at the Aquatic Sciences Centre at West Beach, by the South Australian Research and Development Institute – the research arm of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions.
The $1.2 million restocking program is an important part of the $8.8m Snapper support package announced late last year. This follows the extension of the Snapper ban due to stocks remaining ‘depleted’ in the Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf / West Coast fishing zones. The restocking program will see a total of nearly one million fingerlings released across both gulfs over the next 2 years.
Adult broodstock were originally collected from the Spencer Gulf in 2019, and the current batch of fingerlings have reached the 40mm size that is optimal for release. The fingerlings will have their ear bones (otoliths) dyed purple so that if sampled in years to come, they can be discriminated from wild fish.
The Snapper fingerlings that are certified disease-free will be moved in a purpose-built fish transporter, where oxygen and temperature levels can be monitored and maintained enroute.
They will be released in batches throughout May, from beaches close to seagrass habitats in the Spencer Gulf, where Snapper fingerlings settle naturally. The timing of the releases aligns with Snapper’s natural breeding cycle.
RecFish SA, South Australia’s peak body for recreational fishing, will assist with the release of fingerlings.
The waters of the West Coast, Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent regions remain closed to Snapper fishing until 31 July 2026. Snapper fishing in Southeast waters is open to all fishing sectors, with strict bag and boat limits in place.
Read more about Snapper and their management in South Australia.