Vongole fishery

The Vongole Fishery consists of the taking of Vongole (Mud Cockle) in a Vongole fishing zone. The 3 fishing zones are:

• West Coast
• Coffin Bay
• Port River.

There are 3 species in the Vongole fishery:

• Katelysia Scalarina (greys)
• K. rhytiphora (yellows)
• K. peronii (whites).

The Vongole fishery uses cockle rakes.

Licensing

Expiry

There are no new licences available for the Vongole fishery.

Fees

Commercial licence fees must be paid each financial year. Invoices are issued annually in June and payments can be made:

• up-front
• in a lump sum
• in quarterly instalments.

Transfer licence

Vongole fishery licences are fully transferable: Application to transfer a vongole fishery licence ( PDF 265.6 KB )

Boat registration and de-registration

All boats used for commercial fishing must be registered.

To register or de-register use the Application to vary a boat registration endorsement form ( PDF 141.0 KB ).

Boat master registration

Licence holders must be registered as the master of the licence. Use this form to register:

• Application to change registration of a master ( PDF 178.2 KB ).

Quota trading

Licence holders can temporarily or permanently transfer their quota entitlements to another licence holder using the Quota Trading Service or by using the Application to transfer vongole quota units form ( PDF 147.7 KB ).

A quota unit for a Vongole zone of the fishery can only be used to take Vongole from that zone. Quota units cannot be transferred for use in other zones.

Electronic reporting

As of 1 February 2025, licence holders are required to submit their catch and effort electronically through the Commercial Fishing SA application. Fishers can also access the myPIRSA portal and directly report their catch and effort electronically into the eCatch (Digital Reporting) Service.

• Vongole Fishery – Electronic Reporting Guide for Commercial Fishing ( PDF 1.4 MB )
• South Australian Commercial Vongole Electronic Catch and Effort and Catch and Disposal Report ( PDF 325.4 KB )

Vongole fishery management

On 1 July 2021, the Vongole fishery became a standalone fishery. Previously it was part of the marine scalefish fishery.

• Vongole harvest strategy ( PDF 961.2 KB )
• Harvestable biomass in the South Australian vongole fshery (Katelysia spp.) ( PDF 2.3 MB )
• Harvestable biomass of Katelysia spp. in the South Australian vongole fishery ( PDF 3.3 MB )
• Coffin Bay vongole fishery – 2023 harvestable biomass estimate ( PDF 338.3 KB )
• Vongole fishery – Alternative method to define the presence and absence of pre-recruits ( PDF 528.7 KB )
• Vongole fishery – Legal minimum shell length conversion to height ( PDF 709.5 KB )
• South Australian commercial fisheries reports – economic indicators by BDO Australia

Department of Environment

The Australian Government Department of the Environment requires that all commercial fisheries that export product be assessed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Product from the Vongole fishery is currently approved for export.

For more information, see South Australian managed fisheries.

Rules and regulations

The fishery is licenced under the Fisheries Management Act 2007.

Fishing activities are regulated under the:

• Fisheries Management (Vongole Fishery) Regulations 2021
• Fisheries Management (General) Regulations 2017.

Determinations

Notices to commercial fishers

See the notices to commercial fishers.

Closures

See fishing closures including the Port River.

Contact

Steve Shanks – Program Leader, Commercial Fisheries
Phone: (08) 8429 0197
Email: steve.shanks@sa.gov.au