Snapper size limits too small??

[Wayne_Red]

Hi all
Iwas reading an artical in a 2004 fishing mag on the weeked about snapper size limits in qld. At the time of the artical written by David Green the size limits had just been increased from 29cm (i think) to 35cm. He said a fish of 35cm was double the weight of a 29cm fish. (makes sense)

Here in nsw the size limits were taken from 27cm to 30cm about 4-5 years ago. At the time when 27cm was the limit you would catch a lot of fish around the 27-27.5cm Now you catch a lot of fish 30-30.5cm

To me it would make sense to increase the size limit by @2cm every, say 2 years, and eventually bringing up the minimum size limit up to 40-42cm or even bigger.

We still have fish traps here in nsw, i assume you do in qld? In the area i fish, the traps do a very good job of culling fish from legal size up. Hence the abundance of 30-30.5cm fish I catch. (the rec fisho do there bit as well of course but traps fish 24hrs a day)

We would end up with better quality fish at just legal size, better sporting qualities of fish up to leagal size and more time to breed.

The only loosers as I see it would be the "plate size snapper" for the resaurants, but bugger them, "quality snapper fillet" is better anytime IMO

Regards Wayne

[Blackened]

G'day

Just for the record, the old snapper legal in QLD was 30, and you are right by saying it's now 35.

It's good idea you have but the main problem I believe with doing this is the fact of keeping everyone informed. Whe will eally keep track of wich fish increase by x amount over y time?

Dave

[banshee]

I tend to agree and like the idea,a 30cm snapper is a bloody sad specimen,even more so if you prefer fillets over whole fish.I could live with the lift in legal size every couple of years to get it up around 40cm.
I could be wrong but I think the only other state to allow fish traps is WA and unlike NSW where the traps can be left in the water 7 days a week for as long as the commercial fisherman likes they (WA commercial fishermen) have to bring them in every night,I personaly can't see traping as being sustainable.

[BilgeBoy]

So at my current rate of catch that means I will be going hungry for a few more years yet. I was kinda hoping that the one's I am feeding now might grow a little and be keepers next year. Oh well never mind!!! :)

BilgeBoy

[Chris Ryan]

I hear ya Bilgeboy!! I am floating in that boat too - although I have had 2 over the 45cm........but for 12 months that is sad :(

[tunaticer]

Wouldn't it be good if everytime we registered our boat we receive a sticker with current legal sizes and bag limits with the rego sticker?

Surely some of the dept's involved could work this out and organise it for the future.

Jack.

[warrior1]

Wouldn't it be good if everytime we registered our boat we receive a sticker with current legal sizes and bag limits with the rego sticker?

Surely some of the dept's involved could work this out and organise it for the future.

Jack.
great idea tunaticer,;D being the gov it would get stuck in a birdsnest of red tape:(

[Lovey80]

I'd support that Idea. When you consider the rate that they grow it only seems smart to get not only a bigger fillet but that little bit extra time for extra spawnings.

Cheers Chris

[BenDover]

agreed lovey. Not that i know exactly how fast they grow. But an extra 2 cm means maybe an extra year of breeding. Which is alot... And future stocks for generations to come. Im sure my nephews will be talking about these days (even if they are bad to me) of fishing for squire, like my dad talks about when he was young and fish where everywhere...... i dont keep them under 40cm have you ever seen the fillet size of a 35cm 1. Hardly worth it.. Have to keep your bag limit of 5 to make a meal. I probably cant talk though... I try and keep the fish alive for aslong as i can and keep changing the water. So if i dont get enough i let them go... But i think these days im doing more harm to them than good. I wonder if the fish i let go survive anyway. being stressed and tired when i let them go. So now under about 42cm they go straight back in. and i just gamble on how good i am... 3/5 @ 42- 45 great and i find they taste the best at this size. I was lucky last friday and got a 56cm 1. I respected him so much i let him go back at the boat ramp and felt really good about it... Dodged hooks and survived for that long in a badly overfished area. Only to be caught by me.. My only regret :( i didnt get a photo of him)...
bd

[Peter4]

How long does it take a snapper to grow to 35cms? How much longer to 40cms?

I was surprised to learn recently that a barra of 80cm is only five years old so I am assuming a 35cm snap is only a youngster or a juvenile that has just made it to breeding maturity.

If this is the case then I agree that size limits should be increased gradually. Personally my PB is only 45cm and I desparately want a 50cm+ specimen.

The more of the 35 - 40cm fish we release increases my chances at success!!

Pete

[finga]

Wouldn't it be good if everytime we registered our boat we receive a sticker with current legal sizes and bag limits with the rego sticker?

Surely some of the dept's involved could work this out and organise it for the future.

Jack.
NSW had some of those measuring stickers that they gave away at the tackle shops.
Anybody could have one. They had a ruler, legal sizes and also pretty colour pictures to ID fish.
But, as per usual, they didn't last very long and they were only in limited numbers.

[Noelm]

if you think that raising the legal limit to 40 or whatever is a good idea, then by all means impose your own 40CM limit, lots of people have their own personal size limit, as the old saying goes, "if it feels good do it!" and sure we could get a free size sticker with our rego, but the ski boats would have little use for it (or the jetskiers)

[bluefin59]

Me and the misses only keep them over 40cm anything less goes back and we usually have a bag limit of 4 between us but thats just us guys ...