NSW Fish Size and Bag Limits: Snapper, Kingfish, Flathead and the Rest

Most NSW anglers know the snapper number. Fewer know that dusky flathead have a maximum size, that a mulloway bag is one fish, or that bream and tarwhine share a single bag. Here are the saltwater limits for the fish Sydney and coastal NSW anglers actually chase, plus possession limits, how to measure, and the species you can’t keep.

Every number comes from NSW DPI, whose fishing pages now live at dpird.nsw.gov.au. Rules change, so treat this as a snapshot and the official saltwater bag and size limits page or the FishSmart app as the final word.

NSW Saltwater Size and Bag Limits Table

Checked against NSW DPI on 5 October 2026

“In total” means one bag shared across the group: ten of any mix of bream and tarwhine, not ten of each.

Dusky flathead possession: NSW DPIRD’s own pages don’t currently agree on this number, so check the saltwater bag and size limits page or the FishSmart app before you freeze a second day’s catch.

Bag Limits, Possession Limits and Boat Limits

NSW DPI defines the bag limit as “the maximum number of fish or invertebrates per person per day”. Anything without its own row in DPI’s tables carries a default bag of 20.

The possession limit is the most you can hold “at any one time”, and it “includes fish that are also stored elsewhere e.g. in fridge/freezer”. For bream and tarwhine, flathead (dusky flathead: check DPIRD — its pages differ), tailor, luderick, trevallies, Australian bass and estuary perch, and blue swimmer crab, possession is twice the daily bag. For every other saltwater species it equals the bag. Two good mornings on the yellowfin bream at Captain Cook Bridge is fine; a third with last weekend’s fillets still in the freezer is not.

Boat limits currently cover only gemfish and mulloway: one jewfish per person, and two per boat per day when two or more fishers are aboard (three on a charter boat).

Given how many nights it takes most people to land one jewfish, the boat limit is rarely the problem.

How to Measure a Fish in NSW

DPI measures finfish by total length: “from the snout on the upper jaw to the end of the tail”, forked or rounded. Lay the fish flat and read the tail tip, not the fork.

In Sydney a fish tends to grow on the drive home across the bridge. Fisheries officers measure the version at the ramp.

Three things catch people out, per DPI and its NSW Recreational Saltwater Fishing Guide:

• You must not fillet a fish with a legal size limit, or take off its head or tail, until you’re well away from the water or at a fish cleaning facility. Gilling and gutting are fine; DPIRD’s pages differ on scaling, so check before you scale at the water.
• Undersize fish can’t be kept for bait. They go back immediately, “even if they are injured or dead”.
• Fish shrink a little after they’re kept. DPI warns that a fish right on the limit can drop under it, so let borderline fish go.

The Dusky Flathead Slot

Dusky flathead are the only fish in the table with a maximum size: keep them between 36 cm and 70 cm. DPI says maximum sizes protect larger breeding females, so anything over 70 cm goes back, however long it took to land. All other flathead species share a combined bag of 10, and bluespotted and tiger flathead have a 33 cm minimum.

The sand flats at The Spit and Brighton-Le-Sands both hold dusky flathead. At The Spit, the bridge opening will hold you up longer than the flathead do.

Species You Can’t Keep

DPI is clear that “protected and threatened species cannot be taken”. The species you can’t keep that Sydney anglers meet — some are threatened, others simply carry a zero bag:

• Eastern blue groper — also called blue, brown or red groper. Bag 0, release only, and DPI has continued the line fishing prohibition “for a further three years from 1 March 2025”. They hang around rock ledges like Clovelly and Gordons Bay.
• Blue drummer — release only everywhere in NSW except Lord Howe Island Marine Park. Not to be confused with black drummer (rock blackfish).
• Grey nurse shark — listed as critically endangered. The guide is blunt: it is illegal to take, harm or possess threatened or protected species.
• Black rockcod — listed as vulnerable, and found in caves and ledges along the whole NSW coast.
• Great and scalloped hammerheads — protected and “must be released immediately with minimal harm”. Only smooth hammerheads may be kept.
• Wobbegong — bag 0, release only.

The guide’s advice for sharks is to release any you can’t positively identify as unprotected.

Where These Limits Bite on the Sydney Coast

• Hornby Lighthouse at South Head — land-based yellowtail kingfish country off the deep ledges. Any king under 65 cm goes back.
• Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury — a classic jewfish river. One mulloway each, 70 cm or better.
• Cronulla Beach and The Alley — tailor, Australian salmon and sand whiting off the same sand, three different rows.
• Long Reef Rock Platform — luderick, drummer and snapper off the rocks, inside an aquatic reserve with its own extra rules.

For more spots, browse the NSW locations list.

The Licence, the Guide and the App

You also need to pay the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee and carry the receipt — the NSW fishing licence guide covers costs and exemptions.

DPI’s NSW Recreational Saltwater Fishing Guide is a PDF download, with printed copies in most tackle shops. The current download is the 2024–2025 edition, and it warns that “some bag and size limits may change over time” — so check it against the live DPI limits page. The FishSmart app lists limits for popular species too.

FAQ

What is the size limit for snapper in NSW?

Snapper must be at least 30 cm total length to keep in NSW, with a daily bag limit of 10 per person. Checked against NSW DPI on 5 October 2026 — rules change, so confirm on the NSW DPI website or FishSmart app before you fish.

What is the kingfish size limit in NSW?

Yellowtail kingfish must be at least 65 cm total length to keep in NSW, with a daily bag limit of 5 per person. Checked against NSW DPI on 5 October 2026.

What is the flathead size limit in NSW?

Dusky flathead have a slot limit in NSW: only fish from 36 cm to 70 cm total length can be kept, with a daily bag of 5. All other flathead species share a combined bag of 10, and bluespotted and tiger flathead have a 33 cm minimum. Checked against NSW DPI on 5 October 2026.

What is the mulloway (jewfish) size limit in NSW?

Mulloway (jewfish) must be at least 70 cm total length to keep in NSW. The bag limit is 1 per person per day, with a boat limit of 2 when two or more fishers are aboard. Checked against NSW DPI on 5 October 2026.

What is the difference between a bag limit and a possession limit in NSW?

The bag limit is the most fish you can keep per person per day. The possession limit is the most you can hold at any one time, including fish in the freezer at home. For bream and tarwhine, flathead (dusky flathead: check DPIRD — its pages differ), tailor, luderick and trevally it is twice the bag; for most other saltwater species it equals the bag. Checked against NSW DPI on 5 October 2026.

Can you keep eastern blue groper in NSW?

No. Eastern blue groper — also called blue, brown or red groper — have a bag limit of 0 in NSW and are release only. NSW DPI has continued the line fishing prohibition for a further three years from 1 March 2025.

Once you know what you can keep, check the NSW bite forecast and NSW tide times for your spot before you head out. The table above is the easy part of Sydney fishing; the boat-ramp queue on a sunny Sunday is the hard one.