Recreational fishing rules Guide

• Illegal fishing activities

  You can’t:

  • sell, trade or barter fish without an appropriate licence (illegal marketing of fish poses a threat to the legitimate seafood market, food safety and sustainability of fish stocks)
  • jag or foul-hook fish
  • use explosives, poisons or electrical devices to catch fish (divers can only use a powerhead on a spear gun to defend against sharks)
  • interfere with authorised aquaculture activities
  • obstruct lawful commercial fishing operations, or damage or interfere with fishing gear (including removing fish)
  • possess or carry prohibited gear in closed waters unless the gear is stowed and secured
  • remove, damage or interfere with Fisheries Queensland markers or signs
  • use fishing gear (including nets) across a waterway or navigation channel if it makes more than half its width impassable to a boat or fish.

  Report

  If you suspect someone is fishing illegally:

  • call the Fishwatch Hotline on 1800 017 116
  • report online.

  Recreational fishing rules

  Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app and use the 'My fishing' feature to record your fishing trips and share your stats and photos.

  For a printed copy of the Queensland recreational fishing guide:

  • contact your local Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol office
  • call 13 25 23.

  For a box of fishing guides, order online.

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• Fishing gear

  Restrictions apply to fishing gear to prevent overfishing.

  Tidal waters

  You can use a drone to deploy fishing gear.

  Prohibited fishing methods:

  • Jagging or foul hooking.
  • Using underwater breathing apparatus (other than a snorkel) to catch fish.
  • Using a crab hook.
  • Using fishing gear (including nets) across a waterway or navigation channel if it makes more than half its width impassable to a boat or fish.

  Crabbing in tidal waters

  • Make sure your crab pot/dilly is heavy enough and has enough rope attached to the float so it’s not lost in strong tidal currents. Lost crabbing gear can harm animals and becomes litter.
  • Make sure your pots/dillies are in water deep enough at all stages of the tide so animals caught in the gear are not exposed to the sun and unwanted crabs can be released alive.
  • Sort your crabs on a pot-by-pot basis to remove any no-take crabs before moving on. If you don’t, any illegal catch in your pot is considered to be in your possession.
  • Check your pots/dillies regularly to ensure any bycatch or no-take crabs can be released unharmed. Ideally, you should not leave gear unattended.
  • Report derelict, abandoned or lost crab pots.
  • Hooking crabs is illegal.
  • Don't Interfere with another person’s crabbing gear – this is a serious offence that carries heavy penalties. Stealing crabs or crab pots is a criminal offence. If you’re caught you will be reported to the police.

  Fishing gear	Rules
  Cast nets	Maximum net size is 3.7m – measured from the point of attachment of the cord or rope to the rest of the net, the net leadline or the bottom of the lowest pocket of the net (whichever is greater). Maximum mesh size is 28mm.
  Crab pots and dillies	You can use up to 4 crab pots or dillies (or a combination of these) per person. You can’t have more than 4 pots or dillies per person on a boat in the water. A pot or dilly must have a tag attached with the surname and address (number, street, town, state and postcode) of the person using the pot/dilly – this information must be clearly visible, legible and in English. The pot or dilly must be attached by a rope to either a: solid, light-coloured float at least 15cm in all its dimensions and marked with the user’s surname fixed object above high water (e.g. a jetty or tree) – the rope must have a tag attached to it above the high water mark with the user’s surname on it (sunken and unmarked pots are illegal). You can’t use inverted dillies (witches hats).
  Fishing lines	You can use up to 3 fishing lines with up to 6 hooks in total (in any configuration). An artificial fly, lure, bait jig or gang hook is counted as 1 hook. A fishing line may be handheld or attached to a rod or reel, but you can't use a cross line, drum line, free-floating line or set line. You must stay with all your fishing lines at all times.
  Digging forks	You can use a digging fork to catch bait, except on foreshores with a worm digging closure or in certain marine park zones. You can’t use digging tools in fish habitat areas, other than a hand pump.
  Hand pumps	A hand pump may be used on foreshores in tidal waters to take bait only.
  Lobster loop	You can use a lobster loop to catch lobster while snorkelling. Pole with a loop on one end that can be drawn around the lobster to secure it, without anything attached that may pierce the shell.
  Scoop or dip nets	Maximum net size is 2m in any dimension. Maximum handle length is 2.5m. Minimum mesh size is 25mm. You can use a gaff or landing net to secure a line-caught fish.
  Seine nets (bait nets or drag nets)	Maximum net size is 16m in length and 3m in drop. Maximum mesh size is 28mm. It can’t contain a bag, pocket or similar device. It can’t be anchored, staked or fixed. No part of the net containing fish can be out of the water other than to immediately remove the fish. You can keep fish caught in a seine net as long as they meet size and possession limits. Any fish you don’t keep must be released into water deep enough to allow the fish to escape.
  Spearfishing	You can use a spear or spear gun (including a bow for propelling a spear) in selected tidal water locations. You can’t use underwater breathing apparatus (other than a snorkel) to catch fish. A power head is not permitted other than for defence against sharks. You can’t spearfish for barramundi between 6pm and 6am. You can’t go spearfishing in fresh waters. Closed waters apply.

  Freshwaters

  You can’t use:

  • hand pumps or worm digging forks
  • a spear or spear gun (including a bow for propelling a spear)
  • underwater breathing apparatus (other than a snorkel) to catch fish
  • a cast net or seine net
  • a crab pot.

  You can’t interfere with gear that you didn’t set – this is a serious offence that carries heavy penalties.

  Traps in freshwaters

  • You can use canister traps, collapsible traps, dilly nets, funnel or round traps, or open-top pyramid traps – up to 4 traps in total.
  • All traps must have a tag attached with the surname and address (number, street, town, state and postcode) of the person using the trap – this information must be clearly visible, legible and in English.
  • If a trap is not fixed to something stationary (e.g. a branch or boat) above the surface of the water, it must have a solid light-coloured float attached, which is at least 15 cm in all its dimensions and marked with the user’s surname.

  Fishing gear	Rules
  Canister traps	Maximum trap length is 60cm and the maximum width, height or diameter is 50cm. It must be open at one end. The width, height or diameter of the trap – measured anywhere along its length – must not be more than the width, height or diameter of the trap’s open end. If the trap does not have mesh made of rigid material, the maximum mesh size is 25cm.
  Collapsible traps	The trap must be made of rigid material and with 1 or more collapsible sides.
  Dilly nets	Maximum net diameter is 125cm, Maximum mesh size is 25mm.
  Fishing lines	You can use: handheld fishing lines, with or without a pole, reel or rod – up to 6 fishing lines in total 1 hook, artificial fly or lure attached to a fishing line. You can’t: use a set line use a float line set a fishing line as a cross-line. You must stay within 50m of all your fishing lines.
  Funnel and round traps	The maximum funnel trap size is 70cm long and 50cm high or wide. The maximum round trap size is 70cm in diameter and 50cm in height. The maximum mesh size of funnel and round traps is 25mm, with up to a maximum of 4 entrances made of rigid material. Funnel and round traps with a maximum rigid opening size of 5cm in all dimensions can be used in all Queensland fresh waters. Funnel and round traps with a maximum rigid opening size of 10cm can only be used in: fresh waters west of a line following the Great Dividing Range and west of the Gore Highway (A39) or these impoundments—Atkinsons Dam, Baroon Pocket Dam, Bill Gunn Dam (Lake Dyer), Bjelke-Petersen Dam, Boondooma Dam, Borumba Dam, Burdekin Dam (Lake Dalrymple), Callide Dam, Cania Dam, Connolly Dam, Cooby Dam, Coolmunda Dam, Cressbrook Dam, Eungella Dam, Ewen Maddock Dam, Fairbairn Dam, Fred Haigh Dam (Lake Monduran), Glenlyon Dam, Gordonbrook Dam, Hinze Dam, Kinchant Dam, Koombooloomba Dam, Lake Awonga, Lake Gregory, Lake MacDonald, Lenthalls Dam (Lake Lenthall), Leslie Dam, Maroon Dam, Middle Creek Dam, Moogerah Dam, Mount Morgan Big Dam, North Pine Dam, Peter Faust Dam, Ross River Dam, Sideling Creek Dam (Lake Kurwongbah), Somerset Dam, Storm King Dam, Teemburra Dam, Theresa Creek Dam, Tinaroo Dam, Wivenhoe Dam, Wuruma Dam, Wyaralong Dam. Funnel and round trap usage map
  Nets	You can only use a scoop or dip net, or landing net. You can’t use any other net (e.g. cast net, seine net, bait net, drum net). Scoop or dip nets: maximum net size of 1 m in any dimension maximum handle length of 2.5 m maximum mesh size of 25 mm.
  Open-top pyramid trap	Must have a single, rigid top opening, with a minimum size of 15cm in all its dimensions, parallel to the base of the trap. Maximum mesh size is 25mm. Maximum base size is 60cm long and wide. Minimum trap height is 15cm.

  Recreational fishing rules

  Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app and use the 'My fishing' feature to record your fishing trips and share your stats and photos.

  For a printed copy of the Queensland recreational fishing guide:

  • contact your local Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol office
  • call 13 25 23.

  For a box of fishing guides, order online.

  ---

• Closed seasons and waters

  Queensland has closed seasons and closed waters in place.

  Closed seasons

  Closed seasons prevent people fishing for certain species at certain times of the year, to protect those species at vulnerable times in their life cycle, such as during spawning seasons. You should not target those fish during a closed season.

  Closed waters

  Closed waters prevent people from fishing or using particular fishing gear in certain areas:

  • where a population of endangered or threatened species lives
  • where fish gather during or before spawning
  • near artificial barriers where large numbers of fish may collect or get trapped and be susceptible to overfishing
  • to separate incompatible uses (e.g. spearfishing in a swimming area)
  • to enable successful migration of fish through fishways.

  Fishing guides

  Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app and use the 'My fishing' feature to record your fishing trips and share your stats and photos.

  For a printed copy of the Queensland recreational fishing guide:

  • contact your local Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol office
  • call 13 25 23.

  For a box of fishing guides, order online.

  ---

• Size and possession limits in tidal waters

  General possession limit

  There is a general possession limit of 20 for all tidal species not listed on this page.

  In Queensland, there are minimum size limits and also some maximum size limits. Find out how to measure your catch.

  A possession limit is the total number of fish that one person can legally take and keep at any one time – it is not a daily limit. This includes any fish that you have at home in the freezer.

  Return undersized, oversized, no-take or closed season species to the water immediately to ensure they have the best chance of survival. Watch our top tips for catch and release.

  Coral reef fin fish

  Other tidal fish

  Cods and groupers Coral trout Emperors Fusiliers Parrotfishes Surgeonfishes Sweetlips Tropical snappers and sea perches Wrasse

  Australian bass Barramundi Bream Bugs Clams Cobia (black kingfish) Cod (estuary) Crabs Eels Flathead Garfish Golden snapper (fingermark) Grass emperor (sweetlip) Green snail Javelin Jewfish Luderick Mackerel Mahi mahi (dolphin fish) Mangrove jack Molluscs and gastropods Mullet Mulloway Oysters Pearl perch Prawns Rays Sea cucumber Sharks Snapper Tailor Teraglin Threadfin (salmon) Trevally Trochus Tropical rock lobster Wahoo Whiting Wolf herring Worms and bait species

  Coral reef fin fish

  A combined possession limit of 20 in total applies to all coral reef fin fish. For a complete list of species, refer to fisheries legislation.

  Skin removal and filleting rules:

  • You can have whole (dead), gilled, gutted or filleted (fillets must be at least 40 cm long with skin and scales left on) coral reef fin fish on board a boat.
  • You can only have a live coral reef fin fish (excluding coral trout or redthroat emperor) on board a boat if it’s going to be displayed in an aquarium.
  • You can’t have fillets of blue spotted coral trout (Chinese footballer) on board a boat.

  There are two 5-day coral reef fin fish closed seasons in October and November each year.

  Cods and groupers

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exception follows)	38cm min Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod and grouper species
  Camouflage grouper	50cm min 70cm max Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod and grouper species
  Flowery rockcod	50cm min 70cm max Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod and grouper species
  Greasy rockcod	38cm min 100cm max Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod and grouper species
  Maori rockcod	45cm min Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod and grouper species
  Barramundi cod	No take
  Potato rockcod	No take
  Queensland groper	No take

  Coral trout

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exception follows)	38cm min Combined limit of 7 in total of all trout species
  Blue spotted coral trout (Chinese footballer)	50cm min 80cm max Combined limit of 7 in total of all trout species

  Emperors

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exception follows)	25cm min Limit of 5 per species
  Redthroat emperor (sweetlip emperor)	38cm min Limit of 8
  Long nose emperor	38cm min Limit of 5
  Spangled emperor	45cm min Limit of 5

  Fusiliers

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	No size limit Limit of 20

  Parrotfishes

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	25cm min Limit of 5 per species

  Surgeonfishes

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	25cm min Limit of 5 per species

  Sweetlips

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	25cm min Limit of 5 per species

  Tropical snappers and sea perches

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exceptions follow)	25cm min Limit of 5 per species
  Crimson snapper (small mouth nannygai) Saddletail snapper (large mouth nannygai)	40cm min Combined limit of 9 in total of both species
  Flame snapper	38cm min Limit of 5
  Goldband snapper Sharptooth snapper	38cm min Combined limit of 5 in total of both species
  Hussar	25cm min Limit of 10
  Green jobfish Smalltooth jobfish  Ruby snapper	38cm min Limit of 5 per species
  Red emperor	55cm min Limit of 5
  Rosy snapper (rosy jobfish) Lavender snapper (lavender jobfish)	38cm min Combined limit of 8 in total of both species
  Chinaman fish	No take
  Paddletail	No take
  Red bass	No take

  Wrasse

  Species		Size and possession limits
  All other species (exceptions follow)		30cm min Limit of 5 per species
  Pigfish Redbreast Maori wrasse Triple tail Maori wrasse		25cm min Limit of 5 per species
  Tuskfish (all species)		30cm min Combined limit of 6 in total of all tuskfish species
  Humphead Maori wrasse		No take

  Other tidal fish

  Skin removal and filleting rules apply:

  • You can’t have fish on board a boat with the skin removed. Some exceptions apply to individual species – details in relevant species information below.
  • You can divide a fish into portions as long as an inspector can easily count the number of fish in your possession.

  Australian bass

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	30cm min Limit of 2 Closed season applies

  Barramundi

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	58cm min 120cm max Limit of 5 per person / 10 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) Closed season applies

  Bream

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Pikey Tarwhine Yellowfin	25cm min Combined limit of 30 in total of these species

  Bugs

  • You can’t have bug meat in your possession on a boat unless you intend to eat it immediately – otherwise bugs must remain whole.
  • You can’t have a bug with a damaged shell or with a shell separated from the body in your possession.

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Moreton Bay (bay lobster)	7.5cm min (across widest part of the shell) Limit of 20
  Smooth (Balmain)	10.5cm min (across widest part of the shell) Limit of 20 No take: Egg-bearing Balmain bugs

  Clams

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Family Tridacnidae Helmet shells Trumpet shells	No take

  Cobia (black kingfish)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	75cm min Limit of 2

  Cod (estuary)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Blackspotted rockcod Goldspotted rockcod	38cm min 120cm max Combined limit of 5 in total of all cod and grouper species

  Crabs

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Blue swimmer	11.5cm min Limit of 20 No take: Female blue swimmer crabs You can’t possess blue swimmer crabs with the shell missing, or claws without the rest of the crab.
  Mud  crab	15cm min Limit of 7 per person / 14 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) No take: Female mud crabs Closed waters apply You can’t possess mud crabs with the shell missing, or claws without the rest of the crab.
  Spanner crab	10cm min Limit of 20 Closed season applies You can’t possess spanner crab claws without the rest of the crab. No take: Egg-bearing spanner crabs
  Three-spotted crab	10cm min Limit of 20 You can’t possess three-spotted crab claws without the rest of the crab. No take: Egg-bearing three-spotted crabs

  Eels

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Longfin Pacific shortfin (south Pacific) Southern shortfin	30cm min Combined limit of 10 in total of all species

  Flathead

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exception follows)	30cm min Combined limit of 5 in total of all species (other than dusky flathead)
  Dusky (mud flathead)	40cm min 75cm max Limit of 5

  Garfish

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	No size limit Combined limit of 50 in total of all species

  Golden snapper (fingermark)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	35cm min Limit of 5

  Grass emperor (sweetlip)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	30cm min Liimit of 10

  Green snail

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	280g min Limit of 20

  Javelin

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Barred (spotted grunter) on the Queensland east coast	40cm min (whole or with head or tail removed) or  26cm min fillet length (skin left on while on a boat) Limit of 10
  Barred (spotted grunter) in the Gulf of Carpentaria	40cm min (whole or with head or tail removed) or 26cm min fillet length (skin left on while on a boat) Limit of 10 whole fish or 20 fillets
  Silver (small spotted grunter)	30cm min Limit of 10

  Jewfish

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Black jewfish on the Queensland east coast	75cm min Limit of 1 per person / 2 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) Fish must be kept whole while on a boat. Closed waters apply
  Black jewfish in the Gulf of Carpentaria	60cm min Limit of 1 per person / 2 per boat (with 2 or more people on board ) Fish must be kept whole while on a boat. Will become a no-take species if the annual total allowable commercial catch is reached – fishery currently open.
  Scaly (jewel fish)	45cm min Limit of 20 Fish must be kept whole while on a boat

  Luderick

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	30cm min Limit of 10

  Mackerel

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Grey	60cm min Limit of 5
  Spanish	75cm min Limit of 1 per person / 2 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) Closed seasons apply
  School	50cm min Limit of 10
  Shark	50cm min Limit of 10
  Spotted	60cm min Lmit of 5

  Mahi mahi (dolphin fish)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	50cm min Limit of 5

  Mangrove jack

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	35cm min Limit of 5

  Molluscs and gastropods

  Bivalve molluscs and gastropods, including pipis, mud whelks and cockles – excluding all oysters

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	No size limit Limit of 30 No take: Bivalve molluscs and gastropods (excluding pipis) are no take in Moreton Bay

  Mullet

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Diamondscale	30cm min Limit of 20
  Sea	30cm min Limit of 20
  All other mullet except freshwater	No size limit Limit of 50

  Mulloway

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	75cm min Limit of 2 Fish must be kept whole while on a boat

  Oysters

  You can only take pearl oysters away from a public oyster reserve or unlicensed oyster ground – you must eat all other oysters where you catch them.

  All licensed oyster grounds and aquaculture areas are required to display signage. Taking oysters from, or interfering with, aquaculture infrastructure and licensed oyster grounds is illegal and carries heavy penalties.

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exception follows)	No size limit Limit of 20
  Blacklip pearl oyster	9cm min Limit of 20
  Goldlip pearl oyster	13cm min 23cm max Limit of 20

  Pearl perch

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	38cm min Limit of 4 Closed season applies

  Prawns

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	No size limit Limit of 10 litres per person / 20 litres per boat (with 2 or more people on board) You can’t have prawns with the heads or any other part removed in your possession, unless you intend to eat them immediately.

  Rays

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exceptions follow)	150cm max or interdorsal length 60cm max Combined limit of 1 shark or ray per person / 2 sharks or rays per boat (with 2 or more people on board)
  Guitarfish	150cm max or interdorsal length 60cm max Combined limit of 1 shark or ray per person / 2 sharks or rays per boat (with 2 or more people on board) You can’t fillet guitarfish, or remove the tails or fins, or have tails or fins on board a boat
  Shovelnose ray	150cm max or interdorsal length 60cm max Combined limit of 1 shark or ray per person / 2 sharks or rays per boat (with 2 or more people on board) You can't fillet shovelnose rays, but you can trunk or gut them Fins must be naturally attached
  Manta ray	No take
  Sawfish	No take

  Sea cucumber

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exception follows)	No size limit Limit of 5 per person / 10 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) for waters north of latitude 20° south (near Bowen) and waters east of longitude 142°31’49’’ east (Gulf waters) Closed waters apply
  Black teatfish	No take
  White teatfish	No take

  Sharks

  Fin and tail removal and filleting:

  • You can remove the fins and tails of some sharks and rays, but the rest of the body must also be on board the boat.
  • You can divide a shark or ray into portions as long as an inspector can easily count the number of sharks or rays in your possession.

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exceptions follow)	150cm max or interdorsal length 60cm max Combined limit of 1 shark or ray per person / 2 sharks or rays per boat (with 2 or more people on board)
  Grey reef and whitetip reef sharks	150cm max or interdorsal length 60cm max Combined limit of 1 shark or ray per person or 2 sharks or rays per boat (with 2 or more people on board) You can’t: fillet grey reef or whitetip reef sharks remove the tails or fins have tails or fins on board a boat
  Grey nurse shark	No take
  Hammerhead sharks	No take
  Sand tiger shark	No take
  Speartooth shark	No take
  White shark	No take

  Snapper

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	35cm min Limit of 4 per person with no more than 1 over 70cm / 8 per boat with no more than 2 over 70cm (with 2 or more people on board) Closed season applies

  Tailor

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	35cm min Limit of 20

  Teraglin

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	38cm min Limit of 5

  Threadfin (salmon)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  King threadfin on the Queensland east coast	65cm min Limit of 5
  King threadfin in the Gulf of Carpentaria	60cm min Limit of 5
  Blue threadfin on the Queensland east coast	40cm min Limit of 10
  Blue threadfin in the Gulf of Carpentaria	40cm min Limit of 20

  Trevally (family Carangidae)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exception follows)	No size limit Combined limit of 20 in total for all species
  Amberjack Samsonfish	50cm min Combined limit of 2 in total of both species
  Swallowtail dart	30cm min Limit of 30
  Giant queenfish	50cm min Limit of 5
  Yellowtail kingfish	60cm min Limit of 2

  Trochus

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	8cm min 12.5cm max Limit of 20

  Tropical rocklobster

  • You can’t have a live tropical rocklobster in your possession
  • No take: Egg-bearing tropical rocklobsters and tropical rocklobsters with tar spots (sperm packets) attached
  • Closed season applies

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All other species (exceptions follow)	No size limit Combined limit of 5 per person / 10 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) in total of all species
  Ornate crayfish (Panulirus ornatus)	11.5cm min tail 9cm min shell Combined limit of 5 per person / 10 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) in total of all species
  Red champagne lobster	7.5 min Combined limit of 5 per person / 10 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) in total of all species

  Wahoo

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	75cm min Limit of 2

  Whiting

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Sand (summer whiting) Goldenline Northern	23cm min Combined limit of 30 in total of these species
  Trumpeter (winter whiting)	No size limit Limit of 50

  Dorab wolf herring

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All species	No size limit Limit of 10

  Worms (including parts of worms) and bait species

  Worm digging closed waters apply

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Beach worms	No size limit Limit of 30
  Cribb Island worms (bloodworms)	No size limit Limit of 50
  All other worms (e.g. mangrove worm)	No size or possession limit
  Herring	No size or possession limit
  Common hardyhead	No size or possession limit
  Australian sardine	No size or possession limit
  Australian anchovy	No size or possession limit
  Silver biddy	No size or possession limit
  Saltwater yabby	No size or possession limit
  Soldier crab	No size or possession limit
  Cuttlefish or squid (excluding tiger squid – general possession limit of 20)	No size limit Limit of 50
  Smooth-clawed rock crab	No size limit Limit of 50
  Yellowtail pike	No size limit Limit of 50

  Recreational fishing rules

  Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app and use the 'My fishing' feature to record your fishing trips and share your stats and photos.

  For a printed copy of the Queensland recreational fishing guide:

  • contact your local Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol office
  • call 13 25 23.

  For a box of fishing guides, order online.

  ---

• Size and possession limits in fresh waters

  General possession limit

  There is a general possession limit of 20 for all tidal species not listed on this page.

  In Queensland, there are minimum size limits and also some maximum size limits. Find out how to measure your catch.

  A possession limit is the total number of fish that one person can legally take and keep at any one time – it is not a daily limit. This includes any fish that you have at home in the freezer.

  Return undersized, oversized, no-take or closed season species to the water immediately to ensure they have the best chance of survival. Watch our top tips for catch and release.

  Bait rules

  • If you catch a fish to be used as bait, it must comply with all recreational fishing rules (e.g. size and possession limits, closed seasons etc.).
  • You can’t use no-take species as bait.
  • Fish that are not native to an area (non-indigenous and noxious fish) must not be put back in the water even as bait.
  • You can’t use bait from the marine (saltwater) environment in fresh waters unless it has been frozen, cooked or preserved. This is to prevent the spread of disease and parasites in Queensland’s freshwater systems, and to protect native fish populations and the future viability of freshwater fish stocking programs.
  • You can’t use fish and crustaceans as bait (dead or alive) outside their natural environment or range. This is to prevent species becoming established in foreign habitats and causing environmental damage.
  • Freshwater prawns or shrimp (Macrobrachium australiensis) are found throughout Queensland and can be used as bait in all areas of the state.
  • Prevent movement of fish by catching bait where you fish. Don’t put invasive (pest) fish back in the water or use them as bait, even if caught at that location.

  Freshwater species

  • Australian bass
  • Australian lungfish
  • Barramundi
  • Cherabins
  • Cling goby
  • Cod
  • Eels
  • Freshwater catfish
  • Garfish
  • Hardyhead
  • Mangrove jack
  • Mullet
  • Perch and grunter
  • Rainbowfish
  • Redclaw
  • River blackfish
  • Saratoga
  • Spiny crayfish
  • Yabby

  Australian bass

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All (in all dams and weirs under the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme)	30cm min Limit of 5
  All  (elsewhere in Queensland)	30cm min Limit of 2

  Australian lungfish

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	No take

  Barramundi

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	58cm min 120cm max (1 fish can be greater than 120cm at all times in waterways exempt from the closed season) Limit of 5 per person / 10 per boat (with 2 or more people on board Limit of 1 per person / 2 per boat (with 2 or more people on board) during the closed season in exempt waterways Closed season applies.

  Cherabins

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	No size limit Combined limit of 10 in total of Macrobrachium lar and M. rosenbergii species

  Cling goby

  Refer to the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 for protected goby (search Stiphodon species).

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Cling goby (of the subfamily Sicydiinae)	No take

  Cod

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Bloomfield River cod	No take
  Mary River cod Can be taken upstream of the walls within Cressbrook, Ewan Maddock, Hinze, Maroon, Moogerah, North Pine, Somerset, Wivenhoe and Wyaralong dams; lakes Dyer (Bill Gunn Dam), Clarendon, Manchester and Kurwongbah (Sideling Creek Dam); Caboolture River Weir; Enoggera Reservoir and Robina Lakes	60cm min Limit of 1
  Mary River cod No take in Queensland fresh waters except the waterways listed above	No take
  Murray cod (Queensland part of Murray-Darling Drainage Division)	60cm min Limit of 2 Closed season applies.

  Eels

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Longfin, Pacific shortfin (south Pacific eel) and Southern shortfin	30cm min Combined limit of 10 in total of all species

  Freshwater catfish (eel-tailed catfish, Tandanus tandanus)

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All (exception follows)	35cm min Combined limit of 5 in total of all species
  Other freshwater catfish (genera Anodontiglanis, Neosilurus and Neosiluroides) Examples: black catfish, Cooper Creek catfish, falsespine catfish, short-finned catfish and Hyrtl’s tandan	No size limit Combined limit of 5 in total of all species

  Garfish

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	No size limit Combined limit of 50 in total of all species

  Hardyhead

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Edgbaston hardyhead and Myross hardyhead	No take (Thomson River)

  Mangrove jack

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	35cm min Limit of 5

  Mullet

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Freshwater, Diamondscale and Sea	30 cm min Limit of 20
  All other mullet (except diamondscale, sea or freshwater)	No size limit Limit of 50

  Perch and grunter

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Golden perch (yellowbelly)	30cm min Limit of 10
  Jungle perch and Spotted flagtail (northern jungle perch)	35cm max Combined limit of 1 jungle perch or spotted flagtail
  Silver perch, Barcoo grunter and Welch’s grunter	30cm min Combined limit of 5 in total of these species (including maximum of 2 silver perch) Silver perch is no take in Paroo and Warrego river basins
  Gulf grunter and Sooty grunter	28cm min Combined limit of 10 in total for Gulf, sooty, khaki and lake grunter species
  Khaki grunter (khaki bream) and Lake grunter	No size limit Combined limit of 10 in total for Gulf, sooty, khaki and lake grunter species

  Rainbowfish

  Refer to the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 for protected rainbowfish (search Melanotaenia species).

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	No size limit Limit of 20 of each species

  Redclaw

  In its natural range including Gulf of Carpentaria Drainage Division and from the Jacky Jacky River basin south to the Normanby River basin on the east coast of Queensland.

  Species

  Size and possession limits

  All

  No size limit Limit of 40 in natural range Natural range: Gulf of Carpentaria Drainage Division and the following river basins in the east coast drainage division – Hann (river basin reference number 1050), Jacky Jacky, Lockhart, Normanby, Olive, Pascoe and Stewart. Redclaw can only be used as bait in its natural range (PDF 10.5MB). It must not be used as bait or returned to the water outside its natural range. No take: Females carrying eggs or young must be returned to the water within their natural range

  River blackfish

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	No take

  Saratoga

  Species	Size and possession limits
  Northern and Southern	50cm min Combined limit of 1 northern or southern saratoga

  Spiny crayfish

  Refer to the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 for protected spiny crayfish (search Euastacus species).

  Species	Size and possession limits
  All	No take

  Yabby (blueclaw crayfish, Cherax destructor)

  Species

  Size and possession limits

  All

  No size limit Limit of 100 Yabbies can only be used as live bait in their natural range: Murray–Darling, Lake Eyre and Bulloo–Bancannia drainage divisions, and some river basins in the East Coast Drainage Division (Balonne, Barcoo, Belyando, Border Rivers, Bulloo, Condamine, Cooper Creek, Dawson, Diamantina, Georgina, Isaac, Macintyre, Maranoa, Moonie, Mulligan, Nebine, Paroo, Severn, Thomson and Warrego). No take: Females carrying eggs or young must be returned to the water within their natural range: Bulloo River basin, Lake Eyre and Murray–Darling drainage divisions, and the east coast drainage divisions of Belyando, Dawson and Isaac.

  Recreational fishing rules

  Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app and use the 'My fishing' feature to record your fishing trips and share your stats and photos.

  For a printed copy of the Queensland recreational fishing guide:

  • contact your local Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol office
  • call 13 25 23.

  For a box of fishing guides, order online.

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• Measure your catch

  In Queensland, there are minimum and maximum size limits for certain tidal and freshwater species.

  Return undersized, oversized, no-take or closed season species to the water immediately to ensure they have the best chance of survival.

  Watch our top tips for catch and release.

  Fish

  Measure from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. The fish must not be manipulated to increase or decrease its length.

  

  Crabs

  Female blue swimmer crabs and female mud crabs are no-take.

  

  Mud crab

  Measure the widest part of the shell.

  

  Blue swimmer crab

  Measure the distance between the notch immediately in front of the base of the large horizontal spine on one side, and the same notch on the other side.

  

  Spanner crab

  Measure the distance between the tip of the spike in the middle of the front edge of the shell and the middle of the rear edge of the shell.

  If the shell is damaged or separated from the crab’s body, measure the sternite at the widest part of the front breastplate (directly in front of the base of the main claws). This must be a minimum of 3.7 cm.

  The size limit applies regardless of the condition of the shell.

  

  Three-spot crab

  Measure the widest part of the shell.

  Tropical rocklobster

  Measure the distance from the front of the shell between the two spikes on the head to the rear edge of the shell where the tail begins.

  If the shell is damaged or separated, measure the tail. To do this, measure the top surface of the tail laid flat on a horizontal surface, from the front edge of the shell where the tail begins to the rear edge of the shell where the tail fins begin.

  

  Sharks and rays

  Sharks, guitarfish and shovelnose rays

  • Overall length: Measure from tip of the nose to the end of the tail.
  • Interdorsal length: Measure from the rear edge of the first dorsal fin to the rear edge of the second dorsal fin.

  

  Other rays

  • Overall length: Measure from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail.

  Recreational fishing rules

  Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app and use the 'My fishing' feature to record your fishing trips and share your stats and photos.

  For a printed copy of the Queensland recreational fishing guide:

  • contact your local Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol office
  • call 13 25 23.

  For a box of fishing guides, order online.

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• Protected and no-take species

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• Qld Fishing 2.0 app

Recreational fishing rules, 15 Jul 2024, [https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/rules]

This document is uncontrolled when printed. Before using the information in this document you should verify the current content on https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/rules.