Fishing limits
Size limit: No minimum legal length
| Fishing zone | Daily bag limit | Daily boat limit |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer Gulf | 1 | 3 |
| Gulf St Vincent and Kangaroo Island | 1 | 2 |
| All other waters | 1 | 3 |
Species with combined daily fishing limits
- Bigeye Thresher
- Black Stingray
- Broadnose Sevengill Shark
- Bronze Whaler Shark
- Common Thresher
- Dusky Whaler Shark
- Melbourne Skate
- School Shark
- Shortfin Mako
- Smooth Hammerhead Shark
- Smooth Stingray.
Fishing gear restrictions apply to metropolitan shark fishing.
Live Shortfin Makos must be released unharmed to the water in Commonwealth managed fisheries operating off South Australia (outside 3 m).
Learn about the rules and handling guidelines for fishing for sharks and rays.
Identification
Shortfin Makos have:
- indigo or dark blue fading to light blue, silver and white underside
- sharply pointed conical snout
- a long slender body
- long slender inward curving teeth
- distinct keel-like feature where the body joins the tail.
They can swim at very high speeds and can jump out of the water either when hooked or whilst feeding.
Shortfin Makos feed on:
- fish
- other sharks and rays
- pelagic squids
- marine mammals.
They are 60 to 70 cm in size at birth and range in size up to 4 m, living for up to 30 years.
Habitat
Shortfin Mako are warm-blooded and highly migratory. They are found in South Australian shelf and oceanic waters throughout the year.
Sometimes they visit reefs in southern Spencer Gulf and migrate between:
- South Australia and Western Australian waters
- south of the continent into cool, sub-tropical waters, south of 43º latitude.