Queen Snapper (Blue Morwong)
Reef / OffshoreWA's 'queen snapper' is the blue morwong — a handsome southern reef fish with bright blue-and-yellow facial markings, NOT a Lutjanid snapper. Endemic to southern Australia, it holds on deeper reef and ledges along the lower west and South Coast. A demersal scalefish managed under the West Coast closure and the demersal mixed bag, and very good eating.
In WA, 'queen snapper' means the blue morwong (Nemadactylus valenciennesi) — a striking southern reef fish, silvery-blue with vivid blue and yellow lines around the eyes, and a member of the morwong family rather than a true snapper. (It's worth knowing the name clash: on the east coast 'queen snapper' refers to an entirely different fish.) The WA blue morwong is endemic to southern Australia and holds on deeper reef, ledges and broken ground along the lower west and South Coast, from around the metro reefs south and east into the Great Australian Bight fringe. It's a demersal scalefish, primarily a boat-caught reef fish in 20–100m, and a prized table fish. As a West Coast bioregion demersal species it's caught up in the boat-based demersal closure, so check current arrangements before targeting it there.
Squid, octopus, fish fillet (mullet, scaly mackerel), prawn, pilchard
Soft plastics on 1/2–1oz jigheads, micro and slow-pitch jigs (60–150g), bait jigs
Paternoster rig with two 4/0–6/0 circle hooks on 40–60lb mono leader and enough lead to hold bottom over reef in current. A running sinker rig with a single circle hook also works. As with all reef demersals, strong terminals and immediate lift off the bottom on the strike keep them out of the structure.
Drift or anchor over deeper reef edges, ledges and broken ground in 20–100m, dropping baits or plastics to the bottom and working them just above the structure. Blue morwong hold close to reef and feed on crustaceans and small fish, so position baits tight to the structure and lift the moment you feel weight. Slow-pitch jigging produces fish when they're active. Tide changes trigger the bite.
Available year-round in the South West and on the South Coast, with the more settled-weather windows offering the best access to offshore reef. Tide changes drive the bite; neap tides make bottom-fishing in deeper water easier. Dawn and dusk are most productive.
Up to 90cm and ~7kg, commonly 1.5–4kg
Year-round (South West / South Coast)
Very good — firm, white, moist flesh that holds together well and suits most cooking methods. Bleed and ice on capture. A well-regarded southern table fish, on a par with other quality reef demersals.
Queen snapper / blue morwong (Nemadactylus valenciennesi): minimum size 400mm. It's a demersal scalefish — bag limit 2 in the West Coast bioregion, 1 at the Abrolhos, and 4 in other bioregions, all counted within the demersal mixed daily bag (4 outside the West Coast). IMPORTANT: a boat-based demersal closure applies in the West Coast bioregion (Kalbarri to Augusta) until at least Spring 2027. Always check current DPIRD rules — regulations may change.
Deeper metro and South West reefs and the South Coast grounds out of Albany and Esperance hold blue morwong. Don't confuse the name — in WA this is a morwong, not a Lutjanid; the bright blue-and-yellow eye markings are the giveaway. Mind the West Coast boat-based demersal closure; if it's in force, this is a fish to target outside that zone or to release. Fish baits tight to the reef and lift hard on the strike.