FISH

Under the new regulations a maximum daily bag limit of 20 will apply to any fish or invertebrate not included in a lower limit, except baitfish*.

There are five bag limit categories - zero, two, five, 10 or 20 fish per angler.

New bag and size limits apply for the following species:
* Billfish (marlin & swordfish) - bag limit of two per species
* Sharks and rays - bag limit of five with a maximum of two wobbegong sharks
* Tuna (albacore, big-eye, longtail, southern bluefin, yellowfin) less than 90cm in length - combined bag limit of five
* Pearl perch, wahoo, mangrove jack and moses perch - bag limit of 5 per species
* Prawns - bag limit of one 10 litre bucket
* Deep-water species aggregate bag limit of five, with a maximum of two gemfish
* Dusky flathead - increase in the size limit to 36cm, with a possession limit of one fish over 70 cm
* Snapper - increase in the size limit to 30 cm

* 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.

The legal length is the minimum unless otherwise stated. Bag limit is the maximum number per person in possession. There are five categories of bag limit - zero, two, five, 10 or 20 fish per angler.

FISH

Species	Length (cm)	Bag Limit
Australian bass & estuary perch	only 1 fish over 35	2 per day 4 in total
Australian salmon	-	5
Bream, black, southern & yellow fin	25	20
Eels, short & long finned	30	20 in total
Flathead, dusky	36 only 1 longer than 70cm	10
Flathead, sand, tiger	33	20 in total
Flathead, other	-	-
Deep sea fish (Hapuka, Bar Cod, Bass Groper, Gemfish, Blue Eye Cod)	-	5 in total max. 2 Gemfish
Groper: blue, red, brown	-	2 in total (by line only)
Hairtail	-	10
Kingfish, yellowtail	60	5
Luderick	25	20
Mackerel: spanish, spotted	-	5 in total
Mangrove Jack	-	5
Marlin (striped, black , blue)	-	2
Morwong: banded	-	5
Morwong: jackass, rubberlip	28	20
Morwong: red	25	5
Moses Perch	-	5
Mullet: sea or bully	30	20
Mullet, poddy (for live bait) --must be kept alive--	under 15	20
Mulloway (Jewfish)	45	5 only 2 over 70cm
Pearl Perch	-	5
Rock Blackfish	30	10
Sailfish	-	2
Sharks & Rays	91 (school shark only)	5 in total max. 2 Wobbegong
Snapper	28	10
Spearfish	-	2
Surgeon, sawtail	-	5
Swordfish	-	2
Tailor	30	20
Tarwhine	20	20
Teraglin	38	5
Trevally	-	20 in total
Tuna: bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore	above 90	2 in total
Tuna: bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore	less than 90	5 in total
Wahoo	-	5
Whiting, sand	27 (sand only)	20 in total

INVERTEBRATE

Species	Length (cm)	Bag Limit
Abalone	11.5	10
Beach worms	-	20
Cockles, Mussels (Pipies for bait only- do not take beyond 50m of high tide mark)	-	50 in total
Crab, blue swimmer	6	20
Crab, mud, black, mangrove	8.5	5
Crab, spanner	9.3	10
Crab, other (except soldier)	-	10 in total
Cunjevoi	-	20
Lobster, eastern rock	min 10.4 - max 20	2
Lobster, southern rock, male	11	-
Lobster, southern female	10.5	-
Lobster, painted, ornate	-	2 in total
Lobster, slipper (or flat)	-	2 in total
Oysters- sydney rock, pacific flat	-	50 in total
Prawns	-	10 litres
Turban snails, sydney military	7.5	20 in total
Sea urchins	-	10
Scallops	-	50

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
If caught please return these species carefully to the water.

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

PERMITTED FISHING GEAR
Line fishing

You may use 4 rods or lines with up to 3 hooks (or gangs of hooks) each. Each gang is limited to 5 hooks.
One hand-held jigging line with 6 hook-lures is permitted.
Drift lines are banned. Lines must be held in the hand or fixed to a boat or the shore.
Fish must only be hooked through the mouth. It is illegal to jag fish.

Nets
Nets that can be used to catch prawns

1 hand-hauled prawn net (max. 6m long, mesh 30-36mm).
1 push or scissors net (lead-line to 2.75m, mesh 30-36mm).
1 dip or scoop net (mesh 20mm min., handle 1.2m max., 1.25 m drop, diameter 0.6m max.).

Prawn nets must be hand-held and not staked, set, or towed by a boat. They cannot be joined or used with any other net.
Nets that can be used to catch fish and crabs

Up to 5 hoop or lift nets (mesh 13mm min., 1-2 hoops per net). Not to be used in ocean waters.
1 landing net (mesh 25mm min., diameter 0.6m max.).
1 spanner crab net (1.6m long x 1m wide). Only north of Hat Head.

Traps

1 lobster trap or pot (1.2m x 1.2m, buoy 10cm min.).
1 crab trap (up to 1.2m x 1m x 0.5m, buoy 10cm min., mesh 50mm min., 4 entrances).
1 bait trap (entrances 60mm max., not exceeding 45cm long x 35cm diameter).

General

All set gear must display your name and address above the water.
Hand-hauled and scissors nets must be registered at a NSW Fisheries office.
Fish to which a legal length applies may not be filleted at sea.
Local closures for fishing, nets and traps must be observed.
It is illegal for recreational fishers to sell their catch.
It is illegal for recreational fishers to use firearms to take fish.

DIVING AND SPEARFISHING
Permitted

You may use a snorkel when taking fish
SCUBA (for scallops and sea urchins only)
Bare/gloved hand only to take lobsters

Banned

Hookah apparatus
A light with a spear/spear-gun
Spear/speargun to take blue, brown or red groper or any protected fish
Power heads and explosive devices
Spearfishing on ocean beaches (except the last 20 m at each end of the beach)
Many entrances, coastal lagoons and other tidal waters are closed to spearfishing. Inquire about restrictions at your local NSW Fisheries office.

PENALTIES
The Fisheries Management Act allows for penalties of up to $22,000 for some offences. On the spot fines range from $100- $500. Please report illegal fishing activities to your local Fisheries office or call Fisherman's Watch on 1800 043536.

If you would like more information on NSW fishing regulations, please contact NSW Fisheries