Snapper stocks in South Australia will be boosted when 100,000 baby Snapper are released into the Spencer Gulf, near Port Pirie.
The baby fish, known as fingerlings, have been bred at the Aquatic Sciences Centre, West Beach by the South Australian Research and Development Institute, the research arm of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions.
The $1.2 million restocking program is an important part of the $8.8 Snapper support package announced late last year following the extension of the Snapper ban due to stocks remaining 'depleted' in the Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf/ West Coast fishing zones. The restocking program will see a total of nearly one million fingerlings released across both gulfs over the next two years.
Adult broodstock were originally collected from the Spencer Gulf in 2019, and the current batch of fingerlings have reached the 40mm size that is optimal for release. The fingerlings will have their ear bones (otoliths) dyed purple so that if sampled in years to come, they can be discriminated from wild fish.
The Snapper fingerlings that are certified disease free will be transported in a purpose-built fish transporter where oxygen and temperature levels can be monitored and maintained enroute. They will be released in batches throughout May from beaches close to seagrass habitats in the Spencer Gulf, where Snapper fingerlings settle naturally. The timing of the releases aligns with Snapper’s natural breeding cycle.
South Australia’s peak body for recreational fishing RecFish SA will assist with the release of fingerlings.
The waters of the West Coast, Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent regions remain closed to Snapper fishing until 31 July 2026. Snapper fishing in Southeast waters is open to all fishing sectors, with strict bag and boat limits in place.
For more information on Snapper management in South Australia visit: www.pir.sa.gov.au/snapper
Quotes
Attributable to Clare Scriven:
We want to ensure the Snapper fishery can be enjoyed by fishers and consumers for generations to come, which is why the State Government is committed to sustainable management of all our aquatic resources. It is vital we protect the state’s iconic Snapper stocks now and into the future.
This imminent release will assist the recovery of Snapper stocks from critically low levels in South Australia’s gulf waters, and I look forward to the program continuing over the next two years in both gulfs.
Attributable to Geoff Brock:
It is welcome news that Spencer Gulf snapper stocks are set to get a boost, with 100,000 fingerlings to be released in coming days. This is part of a two-year program aimed at releasing nearly half a million fingerlings into each of the Gulf of St Vincent and Spencer Gulf.
For recreational and commercial fishers and charter boat operators in both gulfs and the west coast, the ongoing success of the breeding and release of fingerlings is a significant step forward to once again being able to fish for Snapper in these waters.
Attributable to RecFish SA Executive Officer, Asher Deszery:
RecFish SA are pleased to be involved in the Snapper recovery process through the stocking of the first of many juvenile Snapper into the Spencer Gulf, bolstering recovery efforts of this important and iconic species.
Regional recreational fishing communities are at the forefront of RecFish SA efforts and supporting the Spencer Gulf Snapper fishery is the first step in achieving a sustainable and thriving fishery once again.
SARDI have done an incredible job in producing healthy fingerlings with the purpose of not only increasing recruitment within the gulfs, but also assisting with important research outcomes through innovative otolith staining, giving the ability of future monitoring of fish to gather data on movement and growth of released Snapper.
We look forward to seeing further outcomes of the SA State Government and FRDC funded Snapper Science program.
