NSW

At around 1.5 hours’ drive from Sydney and only 20 minutes from Newcastle city centre, Lake Macquarie makes for a perfect one-day fishing trip or quick weekend getaway to escape the city. This is one of the 30 Recreational Fishing Havens along the NSW coastline and is renowned for some great fishing, whether just a casual day on the water …

To help rebuild stocks of east coast spanish mackerel, new rules will be in place from July 1, 2023. From this date, the recreational possession limit will change to one fish per person, or two fish per boat with two or more recreational fishers on board. The boat limit will not apply to licensed charter fishing trips. Also from July …

Some fishers may have noticed there has been a strong recent recruitment pulse of mulloway, with reports of large numbers of juvenile fish (40-60cm) in estuaries and off some ocean beaches. This follows three years of high rainfall and associated high estuarine flows. This recruitment pulse represents a great opportunity to boost the stock of this highly valued species. The …

After having to contend with two weeks of a solid 20 to 30-knot southerly wind and big swells, we finally had a week of good weather in early May. This resulted in excellent catches of jewfish, mackerel and tuna before yet another onslaught of strong wind and 5m swells once again battered the coast. I was starting to think that, …

Murray crayfish, Euastacus armatus, sometimes called freshwater crays or lobsters may only be taken during the months of June, July and August in the Murray River between Hume Weir and the Newell Highway Road bridge at Tocumwal, including Lake Mulwala and in the Murrumbidgee River between the Hume Highway Road bridge, Gundagai and Berembed Weir, excluding Old Man Creek. The …

It’s time to get your final FADs fix for the season! DPI DPI NSW deployed FADs at 34 locations over the Spring to Autumn months and they didn’t disappoint with quality reports of catches from Tweed Heads to the Far South Coast. All FADs are removed during winter for annual maintenance. Retrievals of the Eden to Port Stephens FADs are …

If you’ve recreationally fished at one of the 50 boat ramps across Queensland that Fisheries Queensland monitor as part of the Boat Ramp Survey Program, you may have come across one of our interviewers asking you to spare a few minutes to answer some questions about your fishing trip. The Boat Ramp Survey Program is a voluntary program giving recreational …

The largest release of seahorses ever undertaken took place last week, with 350 Endangered White’s Seahorses successfully deployed into Seahorse Hotels in the first ever Port Stephens release! This deployment is part of the White’s Seahorse Conservation Recovery Project, which is a collaboration between NSW DPI Fisheries and SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. Following this monumental seahorse release, divers from NSW …

Two women have been fined $2000 each with a third woman incurring $500 in professional costs after collecting invertebrates in excess of the bag limits from Hastings Point rocky shore. Following an Information Report received via the Fisherwatch 1800 number, Fisheries Officers apprehended 3 women (and one dependent) collecting invertebrates, including sea urchins and turban snails at the Hastings Point …

Dusky flathead stocks in three popular NSW South Coast estuary systems have received a significant boost following the recent release of more than 50,000 flattie fingerlings! Over recent weeks 27,900 dusky fingerlings have been released into St Georges Basin, 12,900 into Burrill Lake and 11,450 into Lake Conjola – bringing the total number of flatties released by NSW DPI this …