Snapper rebuilding plan
Snapper fishing has been closed in South Australian waters, other than the South East, since 2019 to help stocks recover, following stocks being classified as depleted or depeleting.
To support the recovery of Snapper stocks and the potential reopening of the fishery beyond 30 June 2027, PIRSA has developed a Rebuilding Plan for Snapper Stocks in South Australia ( ).
The plan provides transparent policies and approaches to sustainably manage the recovery of Snapper fish stocks, including:
- management objectives for stock rebuilding, with intended target population levels
- pre-defined criteria that will guide our decisions to meet planned objectives:
- when fishing should reopen on currently closed stocks
- how much fishing should be permitted for a given Snapper population size
- when fishing levels should be increased or decreased
- performance indicators to track the plan's progress
- management arrangements to achieve rebuilding objectives, including:
- rules for how catch limits will be set
- catch reporting requirements
- a seasonal spawning closure
- targeted spatial fishing closures at key Snapper aggregation sites
- frequency of monitoring and stock assessments, including what information will be needed.
The plan has been developed by PIRSA with guidance from the Marine Scalefish Fishery Management Advisory Committee (MSFMAC) and has carefully considered stakeholder feedback.
The plan has been informed by scientific advice from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI):
- Scientific advice to support the development of the Snapper Rebuilding Plan ( )
- Scientific advice to support the development of the Snapper Rebuilding Plan – Spatial closures ( )
- Projection model outputs to support the Snapper Rebuilding Plan – Apply potential scenarios ( )
See Snapper recovery for more information about research and recovery efforts.