Snapper Rebuilding Plan

To support the recovery of depleted Snapper stocks and the potential reopening of the fishery beyond 30 June 2026, PIRSA is working on a draft Snapper Rebuilding Plan.

This will be developed with input from the:

• Marine Scalefish Fishery Management Advisory Committee (MSFMAC)
• Snapper Science Stakeholder Group (SSSG).

Rebuilding plans are used in SA and other jurisdictions in Australia and overseas to achieve desired recovery outcomes within specified timeframes for fish stocks that have become depleted.

Outcomes

Our plan will provide transparent policies and approaches to manage the recovery of Snapper fish stocks in SA. This will include:

• Management objectives for stock rebuilding, with intended target population levels.
• Estimated timeframes for stock recovery against the planned milestones. This depends on various factors such as:
  • the level of fishing mortality
  • biological characteristics of the species
  • recruitment events.
• Pre-defined criteria that will guide our decisions to meet planned objectives. These will consider:
  • 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 that will be measured to track the plan's progress against target and other reference points.
• Key management arrangements to achieve the rebuilding objectives.
• Frequency of monitoring and stock assessments, including what information will be needed.

Plan timeline