Fishing rules in South East Queensland: size limits, bag limits and closed seasons
No licence is needed to fish South East Queensland's tidal waters, but most fish and crabs have a minimum size and a possession limit per person, and these have closed seasons every year: snapper and pearl perch (15 July to 15 August), Spanish mackerel (1–21 February and 1–21 March), spanner crab (1 November to 15 December), Australian bass (1 June to 31 August) and barramundi (1 November to 31 January). Only male mud and blue swimmer crabs may be kept: females are no-take. Rules checked .
Updated
A summary: the official rules win
This page summarises the Queensland rules for the fish and crabs we cover, checked . Rules change, sometimes at short notice, and the official rules win: check the size and possession limits, closed seasons and gear rules on qld.gov.au or the Qld Fishing 2.0 app before you keep a fish.
What are the size and bag limits in South East Queensland?
These limits apply in Queensland's tidal waters from Noosa to the Gold Coast: the ocean, Moreton Bay, Pumicestone Passage, the Broadwater and the tidal reaches of the rivers. A possession limit is per person and counts every fish you have, including any in the freezer at home: it is not a daily bag. Sizes are lengths; crabs and bugs are measured on the shell, and the details column says how. The qld.gov.au measuring guide shows how to measure each kind.
The table covers the 39 species in our species guides and 17 more rows for fish that turn up but aren't targets in their own right, ending with the general limit for any tidal species not listed.
| Species | Min size | Possession limit | Max size | Closed season | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amberjack and samsonfish | 50 cm | 2 | None | None | Amberjack, highfin amberjack and samsonfish: min 50 cm each, 2 in total of amberjack and samsonfish. No closed season. |
| Australian bass (tidal reaches) | 30 cm | 2 | None | 1 June to 31 August | Min 30 cm. 2 (5 in SIPS impoundments). CLOSED 1 June-31 August in all Queensland tidal waters (upper tidal Noosa, Maroochy, Mooloolah, Pine, Caboolture, Brisbane, Logan/Albert, Coomera, Nerang). |
| Australian bonito (and leaping bonito) | None | 20 | None | None | Not listed on the tidal limits page: no size limit, general possession limit of 20. |
| Balmain bug | 10.5 cm | 20 | None | None | Min 10.5 cm across the shell. 20. Egg-bearing bugs no take. |
| Banana prawns | None | 10 litres | None | None | No size limit. 10 litres per person or 20 litres per boat with 2 or more aboard. Heads stay on unless eaten immediately. No closed season. |
| Barramundi (east coast) | 58 cm | 5 | 120 cm | 1 November to 31 January | 58-120 cm. 5 per person or 10 per boat. CLOSED 1 November-31 January on the east coast. Rare in SEQ rivers (impoundment escapees after floods). |
| Blue swimmer crab (sand crab) | 11.5 cm | 20 | None | None | Males only. Min 11.5 cm (notch to notch in front of the big side spines). 20 per person. No shell-off or claws-only possession. No closed season. |
| Cobia | 75 cm | 2 | None | None | Min 75 cm. 2 per person. No closed season. |
| Cods and groupers (e.g. Maori, goldspot) | 38 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 38 cm (Maori rockcod 45 cm), 5 in total of all cods and groupers. Queensland groper, potato rockcod and barramundi cod are no take. |
| Coral trout (all) | 38 cm | 7 | None | None | Min 38 cm, 7 in total of all coral trout (blue-spotted: 50-80 cm). Coral reef fin fish: CRFF closures apply only north of 24°50′S, not SEQ. Reported mainly on the Noosa reefs. |
| Diver whiting (winter whiting) | None | 50 | None | None | Trumpeter (winter) whiting: no size limit, 50 per person. |
| Dusky flathead | 40 cm | 5 | 75 cm | None | Dusky flathead 40-75 cm slot, 5 per person. Other flathead (bar-tailed, sand, northern sand) min 30 cm, 5 combined. No closed season. |
| Estuary cod (goldspotted rockcod) | 38 cm | 5 | 120 cm | None | Goldspotted and blackspotted rockcod: 38-120 cm, 5 in total across all cods and groupers. No closed season. |
| Flounder | None | 20 | None | None | Flounder (all species) are not listed: no size limit and the general possession limit of 20 applies. |
| Garfish (all) | None | 50 | None | None | No size limit. 50 in total. Winter-spring spawners in Moreton Bay; top bait for tailor and Spanish mackerel. |
| Giant queenfish | 50 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 50 cm. 5. Other queenfish fall inside the 20 combined trevally limit. |
| Grass sweetlip (grass emperor) | 30 cm | 10 | None | None | Grass emperor: min 30 cm, 10 per person. No closed season. Not the coral-reef "sweetlips" group (25 cm, 5 per species); do not confuse with spangled emperor (45 cm, 5). |
| Hussar | 25 cm | 10 | None | None | Min 25 cm. 10. Coral reef fin fish (Barwon Banks). |
| Javelin / grunter | 40 cm | 10 | None | None | Barred javelin ("spotted grunter"): min 40 cm (or 26 cm fillet with skin on), 10. Silver javelin ("small spotted grunter"): min 30 cm, 10. Identify carefully. |
| King threadfin (threadfin salmon) | 65 cm | 5 | None | None | King threadfin (east coast): min 65 cm, 5 per person. Blue threadfin: min 40 cm, 10 (east coast). Australian threadfin: not listed, general limit 20. No closed season. |
| Longtail tuna | None | 20 | None | None | Not listed on the tidal limits page, so the general possession limit of 20 applies. No size limit, no closed season. |
| Luderick (blackfish) | 30 cm | 10 | None | None | Min 30 cm. 10 per person. No closed season. |
| Mac tuna | None | 20 | None | None | Not listed on the tidal limits page, so the general possession limit of 20 applies. |
| Mahi mahi (dolphinfish) | 50 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 50 cm. 5 per person. No closed season. |
| Mangrove jack | 35 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 35 cm. 5 per person. No closed season. |
| Marlin (tag and release) | None | 20 | None | None | Black, blue and striped marlin and sailfish are not listed: no size limit and the general possession limit of 20 applies. Almost all are tagged and released (NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program). Tag and release is recommended. |
| Moreton Bay bug | 7.5 cm | 20 | None | None | Min 7.5 cm across the widest part of the shell. 20. Must stay whole on a boat unless eaten immediately; no damaged or separated shells. Rarely caught by anglers: they are trawled and seldom enter pots (McPhee). |
| Moses perch (Moses snapper) | 25 cm | 5 | None | None | Moses snapper is a coral reef fin fish (tropical snapper): min 25 cm, 5 per person, inside the 20 combined coral reef fin fish limit. CRFF closures do not apply in SEQ. |
| Mud crab | 15 cm | 7 | None | None | Males only. Min 15 cm across the shell. 7 per person, or 14 per boat with 2 or more aboard. No shell-off or claws-only possession. No closed season in SEQ. |
| Mulloway (jewfish) | 75 cm | 2 | None | None | Min 75 cm. 2 per person. Must be kept whole on a boat. No closed season. |
| Parrotfish (all) | 25 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 25 cm, 5 per species. Coral reef fin fish. Local "parrot" is usually a tuskfish (30 cm, 6 combined). |
| Pearl perch | 38 cm | 4 | None | 15 July to 15 August | Min 38 cm. 4 per person. CLOSED 15 July-15 August each year (with snapper). |
| Red emperor | 55 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 55 cm. 5. Coral reef fin fish (occasional off Noosa/Double Island Point). |
| School mackerel | 50 cm | 10 | None | None | Min 50 cm. 10 per person. No closed season. |
| Sea mullet | 30 cm | 20 | None | None | Min 30 cm. 20 (other mullet: no size, 50). |
| Sharks and rays | None | 1 | 150 cm | None | Max 150 cm overall (or 60 cm interdorsal). 1 shark or ray per person, 2 per boat. Hammerheads, grey nurse, white shark, sand tiger and manta rays are no take. |
| Snapper (squire) | 35 cm | 4 | None | 15 July to 15 August | Min 35 cm. 4 per person (max 1 over 70 cm), or 8 per boat with 2 or more aboard (max 2 over 70 cm). CLOSED 15 July-15 August each year in east coast tidal waters. |
| Spangled emperor | 45 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 45 cm. 5. Coral reef fin fish. Do not confuse with grass emperor (30 cm, 10). |
| Spanish mackerel | 75 cm | 1 | None | 1–21 February and 1–21 March | Min 75 cm. 1 per person, or 4 per boat with 4 or more aboard (from 1 Jan 2026). CLOSED 1-21 February and 1-21 March every year south of 22°S (all of SEQ). |
| Spanner crab | 10 cm | 20 | None | 1 November to 15 December | Min 10 cm (tip of the front centre spike to the middle of the rear edge; if the shell is damaged, front breastplate at least 3.7 cm). 20 per person. Egg-bearing crabs no take; no claws without the crab. CLOSED 1 November-15 December (managed areas A and B, all SEQ). |
| Spotted mackerel | 60 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 60 cm. 5 per person. No closed season. |
| Summer whiting (sand and yellowfin) | 23 cm | 30 | None | None | Min 23 cm. 30 in total of sand, goldenline (yellowfin) and northern whiting. No closed season. |
| Swallowtail dart | 30 cm | 30 | None | None | Swallowtail dart: min 30 cm, 30 per person. Other darts (small-spotted, snubnose/permit): no size limit, inside the 20 combined trevally limit. |
| Sweetlips (coral reef group, e.g. painted sweetlips / slatey bream) | 25 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 25 cm, 5 per species. Coral reef fin fish. Not the same as grass sweetlip (grass emperor). |
| Tailor | 35 cm | 20 | None | None | Min 35 cm. 20 per person. No closed season in SEQ. (K’gari eastern beach, Waddy Point to Indian Head, is closed to all fin fish 1 Aug-29 Sep; outside SEQ.) |
| Tarwhine | 25 cm | 30 | None | None | Min 25 cm. 30 in total of tarwhine, yellowfin bream and pikey bream combined. No closed season. |
| Teraglin | 38 cm | 5 | None | None | Min 38 cm. 5 per person. No closed season. |
| Three-spotted crab | 10 cm | 20 | None | None | Min 10 cm. 20. Egg-bearing no take; no claws without the crab. (Good blackspot tuskfish bait.) |
| Tiger squid | None | 20 | None | None | Tiger squid: no size limit, 20 per person. Other squid and cuttlefish: 50. No closed season. |
| Trevally (giant, bigeye, golden) | None | 20 | None | None | No size limit; 20 in total across all trevally. Exceptions: giant queenfish 50 cm/5, yellowtail kingfish 60 cm/2, amberjack and samsonfish 50 cm/2 combined, swallowtail dart 30 cm/30. |
| Tuskfish (venus, blackspot, purple) | 30 cm | 6 | None | None | All tuskfish: min 30 cm, 6 in total of all tuskfish species (also inside the coral reef fin fish combined limit of 20). The coral reef fin fish closures (Oct/Nov) apply only north of 24°50′S, not in SEQ. |
| Wahoo | 75 cm | 2 | None | None | Min 75 cm. 2 per person. No closed season. |
| Yellowfin bream | 25 cm | 30 | None | None | Min 25 cm. 30 in total of yellowfin bream, pikey bream and tarwhine combined. No closed season. |
| Yellowfin tuna | None | 20 | None | None | Not listed on the tidal limits page: no size limit, general possession limit of 20. |
| Yellowtail kingfish | 60 cm | 2 | None | None | Min 60 cm. 2 per person. No closed season. |
| Any tidal species not listed | None | 20 | None | None | General possession limit of 20 (covers longtail/mac/yellowfin tuna, bonito, marlin, flounder). |
Rules checked against the qld.gov.au limits page (last updated 25 Sep 2026) and the closed seasons page (last updated 25 Sep 2026).
When are the closed seasons?
During a closed season you can't take or keep that species: release any you catch. In South East Queensland these closures apply every year:
- Snapper and pearl perch: 15 July to 15 August every year.
- Spanish mackerel: 1–21 February and 1–21 March every year.
- Spanner crab: 1 November to 15 December every year.
- Australian bass: 1 June to 31 August every year. Australian bass are closed only in tidal waters (1 Jun–31 Aug); there is no closed season in the dams.
- Barramundi: 1 November to 31 January every year.
Snapper and pearl perch share a closed season. What's biting this month never lists a species while it is closed.
The calendar repeats every year. "Closed" means the whole month is closed; numbers are the closed days of a month that is only partly closed.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snapper (squire) | 15–31 | 1–15 | ||||||||||
| Pearl perch | 15–31 | 1–15 | ||||||||||
| Spanish mackerel | 1–21 | 1–21 | ||||||||||
| Spanner crab | Closed | 1–15 | ||||||||||
| Australian bass (tidal reaches) | Closed | Closed | Closed | |||||||||
| Barramundi (east coast) | Closed | Closed | Closed |
What are the crab rules in Queensland?
Only male mud and blue swimmer crabs may be kept: females are no-take. Each crab's own rules:
Mud crab
Males only. Min 15 cm across the shell. 7 per person, or 14 per boat with 2 or more aboard. No shell-off or claws-only possession. No closed season in SEQ.
Pots and gear: Heavy pots with enough rope for the depth. Max 4 pots/dillies per person, tagged with surname and address, light-coloured float at least 15 cm marked with surname. No inverted dillies.
Blue swimmer crab (sand crab)
Males only. Min 11.5 cm (notch to notch in front of the big side spines). 20 per person. No shell-off or claws-only possession. No closed season.
Pots and gear: Pots or dillies (max 4 per person, tagged and floated). Sort pot by pot and release females before moving on.
Spanner crab
Min 10 cm (tip of the front centre spike to the middle of the rear edge; if the shell is damaged, front breastplate at least 3.7 cm). 20 per person. Egg-bearing crabs no take; no claws without the crab. CLOSED 1 November-15 December (managed areas A and B, all SEQ).
Pots and gear: Flat spanner-crab nets ("dillies": a frame with net hanging below it). Max 4 pots/dillies per person, tagged, with a light-coloured float at least 15 cm marked with your surname.
Three-spotted crab
Min 10 cm. 20. Egg-bearing no take; no claws without the crab. (Good blackspot tuskfish bait.)
Species photos are used under Creative Commons or public-domain terms; see photo credits for each photographer and licence.
The limit of 4 pots or dillies per person applies wherever crabbing is allowed, yellow zones (Conservation Park Zones) included. In a green zone you can't set a pot at all: no fishing or collecting of any kind is allowed there. Exempt from the white spot disease movement rules: spanner, three-spotted, blue swimmer and mud crabs, bugs, lobsters, red claw.
Do I need a fishing licence in Queensland?
Not for tidal waters. You don't need a licence to fish Queensland's tidal waters: the sea, Moreton Bay, the estuaries and the tidal reaches of the rivers. Queensland's recreational fishing rules for those waters set size and possession limits, closed seasons and closed waters, gear rules and no-take species, but no licence or permit (checked 9 Oct 2026). Those rules and the marine park zones on this page still apply.
Stocked dams are different: some dams and weirs need a Stocked Impoundment Permit to fish with a line. Adults need a Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIPS) to fish these lakes: $13.60 a week, $64.58 a year or $46.45 a year concession. Under-18s are exempt. Carry the permit (email, SMS or receipt). In South East Queensland that includes Lake Wivenhoe, Lake Somerset, Lake Samsonvale (North Pine), Lake Kurwongbah, Hinze Dam, Lake Baroon, Lake Borumba, Ewen Maddock Dam, Lake Macdonald, Lake Maroon, Lake Moogerah and Lake Wyaralong. Buy a Stocked Impoundment Permit or see every water in the scheme on qld.gov.au (checked 8 Oct 2026).
South of Point Danger (Tweed, Kingscliff, Cook Island) is NSW: NSW rules apply and a NSW recreational fishing licence is required (not covered here). NSW fishing fee rules (checked 8 Oct 2026).
A boat licence is a separate question from fishing: see Queensland's recreational boating pages.
Where can't I fish? Green zones and closed waters
Green zones in Moreton Bay Marine Park are no-take: no fishing, crabbing or collecting of any kind, and your gear must be stowed and secured. What each kind of zone allows:
| Zone | Rules |
|---|---|
| Green zone | Marine National Park Zone (green): no fishing or collecting of any kind; gear must be stowed and secured. |
| Yellow zone | Conservation Park Zone (yellow): max 2 lines and 2 hooks in total per angler (a lure with up to 3 hooks, a ganged set of up to 6 hooks, or a squid or bait jig counts as one hook), max 4 crab pots, no netting except bait nets. |
| Dark blue zone | Habitat Protection Zone (dark blue): normal line fishing, trolling, crabbing and bait gathering (up to 3 lines and 6 hooks per person); no trawling. |
| Light blue zone | General Use Zone (light blue): normal Fisheries rules (up to 3 lines and 6 hooks per person). |
The 34 green zones (Marine National Park zones) in Moreton Bay Marine Park:
- MNP01 Westaways Creek
- MNP02 Tripcony Bight-Long Island
- MNP03 Northern Wedge
- MNP04 Flinders Reef
- MNP05 Cape Moreton
- MNP06 Heath Island Lagoon
- MNP07 Braydon Beach
- MNP08 Deep Offshore Moreton Island
- MNP09 Deception Bay
- MNP10 Cherub's Cave-Henderson Rock
- MNP11 Hays Inlet
- MNP12 Scotts Point
- MNP13 Bramble Bay
- MNP14 Middle Moreton Bay
- MNP15 Crab Island
- MNP16 Mirapool Islands-Offshore Area
- MNP17 St Helena Island
- MNP18 Amity Banks (east)
- MNP19 Flat Rock
- MNP20 Wanga Wallen Bank
- MNP21 Amity Banks (west)
- MNP22 Myora Reef
- MNP23 Peel Island
- MNP24 Cox Bank
- MNP25 Offshore North Stradbroke Island
- MNP26 Price Anchorage
- MNP27 Lamb Island
- MNP28 Pannikin Island
- MNP29 Willes Island
- MNP30 Cobby Cobby Island
- MNP31 Swan Bay-Never Never Creek
- MNP32 Offshore South Stradbroke Island
- MNP33 McCoys Creek
- MNP34 Coombabah Lake
Contains Moreton Bay Marine Park zoning © State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Science) 2021, CC BY 4.0: zone names from the Moreton Bay Marine Park zoning data, checked 8 Oct 2026. A guide only, not for navigation: the legal boundaries are on the official zoning maps and app.
Places on our spot list where you can't fish:
- Swan Bay (Jumpinpin & Jacobs Well fishing spots): Inside green zone MNP31 (Swan Bay–Never Never Creek), which is also closed water (FRW-027): no fishing or collecting.
- Flat Rock (Point Lookout) (Straddie & Moreton ocean side fishing spots): Inside green zone MNP19 Flat Rock, also a no-anchoring and grey nurse shark area: no fishing.
- Flinders Reef (Cape Moreton & Point Lookout offshore fishing spots): Inside green zone MNP04 Flinders Reef, also a no-anchoring area (use the public moorings): no fishing.
- Henderson Rock (Straddie & Moreton ocean side fishing spots): Inside green zone MNP10 Cherub's Cave–Henderson Rock, a grey nurse shark area: no fishing.
- St Helena Island (Wynnum, Manly & Wellington Point fishing spots): The water around St Helena Island is mostly green zone MNP17: no fishing there.
- Coombabah Lake (Gold Coast Broadwater & Seaway fishing spots): Closed to all fishing: green zone MNP34 and closed water FRW-024 (the lake and the tidal Coombabah Creek above it).
- Ex-HMAS Brisbane (dive wreck) (Mooloolaba & Caloundra offshore fishing spots): Restricted access area: fishing and general boating permits are not issued; stand off at least 400 m. Public access is closed after Cyclone Alfred until 31 Jan 2027.
White spot disease: moving bait and catch
Two rules guard against the spread of white spot disease: what may leave the movement area, and where you may fish near prawn farms.
- White spot disease movement area (Caloundra to the NSW border, 100 m off Bribie, Moreton and Stradbroke, inland to Ipswich): prawns, saltwater yabbies, marine worms and other crustaceans must not leave it unless cooked; decontaminate gear and boats when leaving. Exempt: spanner, three-spotted, blue swimmer and mud crabs, bugs, lobsters, red claw. Never use raw supermarket prawns as bait. Checked 8 Oct 2026.
- Prawn-farm channels: Biosecurity Area 2 near Logan-area prawn farms (e.g. Jacobs Well, Pimpama, Steiglitz, Woongoolba, Southern Moreton Bay Islands): no line fishing in farm intake/drainage channels or within 100 m of them; crab pots, cast nets and yabby pumps are allowed. Follow the signs. Checked 8 Oct 2026.
Other area rules: bait, shellfish and spearfishing
- Bivalves: pipis only: Bivalves and gastropods are no take in Moreton Bay and all tidal waters flowing into it, except pipis (30). Checked 8 Oct 2026.
- Coombabah Lake and Creek: Coombabah Lake and the tidal waters of Coombabah Creek upstream of the lake (Gold Coast): all fishing prohibited. Checked 8 Oct 2026.
- Spearfishing: No spearfishing within 100 m of any public jetty from the Noosa River south; also banned in Lake Weyba/lower Noosa River, the lower Maroochy (incl. the Cod Hole), the Mooloolah below Nicklin Way, parts of Pumicestone Passage, Jumpinpin and the Southport Broadwater/Seaway (south of 27°42′S), Tallebudgera Creek and the artificial reef off Cowan Cowan. Checked 8 Oct 2026.
- Lota–Wynnum worm digging: No worm digging on the Wynnum foreshore (Lota Creek to the Wynnum North Esplanade groyne); hand pumps only in Fish Habitat Areas. Checked 8 Oct 2026.
Sources and checked dates
Rules checked . The official pages we summarise:
- Size and possession limits in tidal waters (qld.gov.au, last updated 25 Sep 2026)
- Closed seasons in tidal waters (dpi.qld.gov.au, last updated 25 Sep 2026)
- Closed waters (dpi.qld.gov.au, last updated 11 Jul 2024)
- Fishing gear rules (qld.gov.au, last updated 26 Mar 2026)
- How to measure your catch (qld.gov.au)
- White spot disease movement restrictions (business.qld.gov.au, last updated 11 Jun 2026)
- Recreational fishing rules and Fishing in dams and weirs (qld.gov.au, checked 9 Oct 2026): the licence answer
- Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme waters (qld.gov.au, checked 8 Oct 2026)
- Moreton Bay Marine Park zoning maps and app (parks.qld.gov.au)
- Qld Fishing 2.0 app (qld.gov.au)
Spotted something out of date? Email hello@catchsignal.com.au. More on how we check rules and data: About Catch Signal and Sources and disclaimers.