skip to content
Government of Western Australia - Department of Fisheries

Hot Topics

Bag and size limits

Sticking to bag and size limits is one of the ways you can help ensure our precious fish stocks remain sustainable. 

Finfish categories

 
For bag and size limits, finfish are categorised according to their habitat and biology (see diagram below).
 
 
Demersal finfish generally live on or near the ocean floor usually at depths of more than 20 metres.
 
Large pelagic finfish are those that usually inhabit the surface or middle depths of the ocean.
 
Nearshore and estuarine finfish typically live in the estuary reaches of rivers and/or in the ocean usually in depths of water up to 20 metres.

Freshwater species can be found in the mid to upper non-saline reaches of rivers and are in freshwater lakes and dams. These species are part of a managed fishery and you will need a freshwater angling licence.

Bag and size limits by category

 
Bag and size limits can be found in our Recreational fishing guide or accessed through the links below:
* For demersal finfish, separate bag and size limits still apply in the West Coast Bioregion (north of Kalbarri to Black Point, east of Augusta). Following research that showed these species were being overfished, a series of measures were introduced a few years ago to reduce the take of demersal finfish in this area. The measures will be reviewed following future stock assessments.

Last modified: 23/03/2015 4:18 PM

wa.gov.au

© All contents copyright Government of Western Australia. All rights reserved. ABN: 55 689 794 77

Copyright

© This work is copyright. You may display, print or reproduce this material only in an unaltered format for your personal or non-commercial use, or for use within your organisation. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved.

Disclaimer

The information and advice provided by the Department of Fisheries website is made in good faith and is from sources believed to be reliable and accurate at the time of release onto the website. Changes in circumstances after a document is placed on the website may affect the accuracy of the information. Full disclaimer details are available at www.fish.wa.gov.au.