Fishing: Bag limits in New South Wales

Behold the wonders of the deep
Where crabs and lobsters learn to creep
And little fishes learn to swim
And clumsy sailors tumble in.

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PORT MACQUARIE

Bag and Size Limits - Saltwater

Before you go fishing, find out if the waters are closed to certain types of fishing methods or the use of certain types of fishing gear.
It's your responsibility to know the rules. Take a look at the fishing restrictions, where to fish or contact your local fisheries office for more information.

Bag Limits

There are five bag limit categories - zero, two, five, 10 or 20 fish per angler.
Bag limit - is the maximum number of fish per person in possession.
A maximum daily bag limit of 20 applies to any fish or invertebrate not included in the tables below, except baitfish*.
*Pilchards, whitebait, bluebait, herring, anchovies, yellowtail, jack mackerel, slimy mackerel, garfish, hardyheads, soldier crabs, saltwater nippers and worms ,
except beach worms which are subject to a bag limit of 20.

Finfish Bag and Size limits
Species	Size limits or Legal Length (cm)	Bag limit
Australian bass and estuary perch	Only 1 fish longer than 35cm	4 in total (max.2 per day) Zero bag limit in rivers and estuaries from 1 June to 31 August
Australian salmon	-	5
Bonito	-	10
Bream (black/southern, yellowfin)	25cm	20 in total
Eels ( longfinned)	58cm	10 in total
Flathead, dusky/common	36cm (only 1 fish longer than 70cm)	10
Flathead (sand, tiger)	33cm	20 in total (combination of all species)
Flathead,all other	-	20 in total (combination of all species)
Deep-sea fish (hapuka, barcod, bass groper, gemfish, blue-eye cod)	-	5 in total (max. of 2 gemfish)+
Flounder and Sole	25cm	20 in total
Garfish (Eastern sea)	-	20
Groper (blue,red/brown)	30cm	2 in total (by line only)
Hairtail	-	10
Kingfish,yellowtail	65cm	5
Leatherjackets	-	20 in total
Luderick	27cm	20
Mackerel (Spotted )	60cm	5 in total
Mackerel (Spanish, )	75cm	5 in total
Mangrove Jack	-	5
Marlin (striped, black, blue)	-	1 of each species
Morwong (grey, jackass, rubberlip)	30cm	10
Morwong (red/sea carp)	30cm	5
Morwong, banded	-	5
Moses perch	-	5
Mullet (sea/bully)	30cm	20
Mullet, poddy (for live bait)	Less than 15cm	20
Mulloway (or jewfish)	45cm (only 2 fish longer than 70cm)	5
Pearl perch	30cm	5
Red Rock Cod	-	5
Rock blackfish	30cm	10
Sailfish	-	1
Sharks and rays	91cm (School shark only)	5 in total Only 1 tiger, mako, blue, hammerhead and whaler shark species. Zero bag limit applies to wobbegong
Snapper	30cm	10
Spearfish	-	1
Surgeon, sawtail	-	5
Swordfish	-	1
Tailor	30cm	20
Tarwhine	20cm	20
Teraglin	38cm	5
Trevallies	30 cm for silver trevally only	20 in total
Tuna (albacore, big-eye, longtail, southern, bluefin, yellowfin)	90cm or above	2 in total
Tuna (albacore, big-eye, longtail, southern bluefin, yellowfin)	Less than 90cm	5 in total
Wahoo	-	5
Whiting	27cm (sand only)	20 in total

Invertebrates Bag and Size limits
Species	Size limits or Legal Length (cm)	Bag limit
Abalone It is currently prohibited to take abalone between Port Stephens and Wreck Bay Beach, Jervis Bay.	11.5cm	2
Balmain Bug	10cm	20
Beach worms	-	20
Cockles, mussels (pipis for bait only - do not take beyond 50m of high-tide mark)	-	50 in total
Crab, blue swimmer	6cm	20
Crab (mud, black/mangrove)	8.5cm	5
Crab, spanner	9.3cm	10
Crab (all other, except soldier)	-	10 in total
Cunjevoi	-	20
Lobster, eastern rock	Min 10.4cm - Max 18cm	2 in total
Lobster, southern rock (male)	11cm
Lobster, southern rock (female)	10.5cm
Lobster (painted, ornate)	-	2 in total
Lobster (slipper, flat)	-	2 in total
Oysters (Sydney rock, Pacific, flat)	-	50 in total
Prawns	-	10 litres
Scallops	-	50
Sea urchins	-	10
Turban snails (Sydney, military)	7.5cm	20

Additional Regulations

Octopus cannot be taken from ocean rock platforms in NSW or rock platforms in Sydney Harbour.
All lobsters and crabs carrying eggs must be returned immediately to the water. It is an offence to remove the eggs.
Intertidal invertebrates must not be shucked in or adjacent to any waters except for immediate use as bait.
Gathering invertebrates in Intertidal Protected Areas (IPA) is prohibited.
Commercially produced oysters are purified prior to sale. NSW Health recommends cooking oysters which have not been
purified as they may contain harmful bacteria.

Protected Species

Bag limits of zero (0) - if caught please return these species carefully to the water.

Elegant wrasse, Ballina angelfish, Estuary cod, Black cod, Giant Queensland groper. Weedy (common) seadragon, Eastern blue devil fish,
Herbsts nurse shark, Grey nurse shark, Great white shark, Green sawfish

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