Abalone
Closure of Southern Zone abalone fishery
Due to the spread of AVG and depleted abalone stocks, from 5 pm on Thursday 6 March 2025, the take of any abalone (commercial or recreational) is prohibited from the River Murray Mouth to the Victorian Border.
Commercial and recreational fishers cannot move equipment that has come into contact with the sea floor in the Southern Zone – waters adjacent to South Australia east of the meridian of longitude 139° East – to other waters without full decontamination.
See Abalone viral ganglioneuritis for more information.
Intertidal reefs
Permanent closure
Intertidal reefs are those rocky areas of our coastline extending up to the high tide mark.
It is illegal to remove any bottom dwelling organisms from any intertidal rocky reef in South Australia out to a depth of 2 m.
This includes:
- abalone
- barnacles
- coral
- crabs
- limpets
- mussels
- sea urchins
- shrimps
- snails
- worms.
Learn more about protecting intertidal reefs ( ).
Aquatic reserves
You must not take abalone from any aquatic reserve in South Australia.
Fishing limits
Daily fishing limits apply to taking Blacklip and Greenlip Abalone in permitted areas.
Bait
You cannot use abalone for bait or berley in South Australian waters.