New dusky flathead rules - Reminder to all fishers

New dusky flathead rules © NSW DPI - Recreational Fisheries

With the fishing in the estuaries heating up and many families going away on holidays to coastal locations, this is the perfect time to remind all recreational fishers that from 1 August 2022 new recreational fishing rules were introduced for Dusky Flathead.

The rules for recreational fishers are now as follows:

• A maximum size limit of 70 cm (previously only 1 over 70cm). Only Dusky Flathead between 36cm (minimum size) and 70cm (maximum size) may be retained, all others must be released.
• A daily bag limit of 5 per person. The possession limit however will remain at 10 per person to enable travelling fishers to store and freeze up to 10 fish for future consumption.

Note - A bag limit is the maximum number of fish you can collect per person per day, where a possession limit is the maximum number a person can have in their possession at any one time i.e. freezer.

For more information on bag and possession limits in NSW, head to the DPI website.

These changes are helping to boost the stock of bigger Dusky Flathead and ultimately provide better fishing opportunities for recreational fishers for this highly por species in the future.

Thank you to Joel Cook for supplying this fantastic shot of an 89cm flathead prior to release.