Recreational fishing rules
Closed seasons and waters
Closed seasons
Closed seasons prevent people fishing for certain species at certain times of the year to protect those species at vulnerable times in their life cycle, such as during spawning seasons. You should not target those fish during a closed season.
Closed waters
Closed waters prevent people from fishing or using particular fishing gear in certain areas:
- where a population of endangered or threatened species lives
- where fish gather during or before spawning
- near artificial barriers where large numbers of fish may collect or get trapped and be susceptible to overfishing
- to separate incompatible uses (e.g. spearfishing in a swimming area)
- to enable successful migration of fish through fishways.
Find out more about closed seasons and waters, or download the free Qld Fishing 2.0 app via the App Store or Google Play to receive reminders about closed seasons and use the ‘Can I fish here?’ function.
In this guide:
- Fishing gear
- Closed seasons and waters
- Size and possession limits - tidal waters
- Size and possession limits - fresh waters