18/09/2026
KINGFISH 26
Interesting read and thanks to Greg Stevenson. The only downside (my opinion) is that this argument assumes Fisheries data is trustworthy. After the groper BS we trust Fisheries like we trust a blind tattoo artist:
CAN THEY CLOSE THE NSW KINGFISH FISHERY? 👀🎣
PROPOSED FISHING CHANGES
There’s a provision in the proposed NSW Yellowtail Kingfish Harvest Strategy that I think recreational anglers need to know about.
The proposed strategy makes provision for the Kingfish fishery to be closed.
The draft states that if its Bsp20 limit reference point is breached:
“a total harvest limit of zero will be implemented (i.e. fishery closure).”
So what is Bsp20?
Bsp20 in normal language: the reference point represents spawning biomass at 20% of the estimated unfished level.
But there is an important distinction here.
That Bsp20 closure rule sits within Phase 2 of the proposed strategy. NSW Kingfish would initially be managed under Phase 1 — the rebuilding phase.
However, the possibility of zero harvest is not limited to Phase 2.
In a footnote to the Phase 1 decision-making framework, the draft states:
“Lowering the RBC to zero will be considered in the phase one decision rules if required to build to Bsp30.”
RBC means Recommended Biological Catch.
So while the draft strategy currently proposes a total annual harvest of 120 tonnes during Phase 1, the strategy also explicitly provides for a zero RBC to be considered during Phase 1 if required to rebuild the stock to Bsp30.
Modelling projects the stock could rebuild to 20% in approximately nine years, with the full Phase 1 target of 30% biomass projected to take approximately 12 years.
And this is where things get interesting.
The latest NSW stock assessment estimates the NSW component of the Yellowtail Kingfish stock at approximately 5.5% of unfished biomass at the start of 2025.
So although the current estimate is already well below 20%, that does not mean the proposed Bsp20 Phase 2 rule requires the fishery to close now.
The strategy is proposing to rebuild from that current position under Phase 1.
But 12 years is a long rebuilding period — so what happens if the stock doesn’t rebuild as projected?
The proposal already contemplates additional management action during the rebuilding phase, including the possibility of a recreational catch-and-release-only period if the proposed bag and boat limits don’t reduce recreational harvest sufficiently.
And we now know the Phase 1 framework goes further than that — it explicitly says lowering the RBC to zero will be considered, if required to build the stock to Bsp30.
That raises an important question:
If rebuilding doesn’t proceed as expected over those 12 years, how much further could management measures change before Phase 2 is reached?
To be clear, the wording is different between the two phases: zero RBC can be considered during Phase 1, while the Phase 2 Bsp20 rule says a zero harvest limit “will be implemented” if that limit reference point is breached.
And I think recreational anglers should know both provisions are there.
There is still plenty more in these proposed changes to unpack.
Consultation closes 18 October 2026.
What do you make of the fishery-closure provisions?
Follow Reel Intelligence as we continue working through what’s contained in these proposals. 🎣
