August 7, 2026
Photo supplied: Nic Tribonias
Mulloway are a highly regarded sportfish, targeted by recfishers along the Victorian coast – including Gippsland and Glenelg River estuaries as well as the Yarra and Maribyrnong river systems in Port Phillip and Western Port – and the species can reach 150cm and 30kg or more.
For those who know where to find them, mulloway are a fantastic target species for both catch and release and to keep for the dinner table.
Over recent years, passionate mulloway recfishers have voiced opinions that the current bag limit of five mulloway is too high and consider it as being more than a reasonable day’s take. Additionally, increasing the minimum size limit from 60cm to 70cm will give the species around 10 months further protection in estuaries and algin the limit with New South Wales.
The commercial harvest of mulloway in Victoria is currently around 50kg annually. However, in years where mulloway numbers are prolific the commercial harvest is higher.
In July, the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA), proposed a Mulloway Improvement Program, consisting of short-, medium- and long-term fisheries management actions to improve Mulloway fishing in Victoria.
As the peak body for recreational fishing, VRFish consulted with Victorian recreational fishers via an online survey to identify if recreational fishers support the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s proposed Mulloway Improvement Program which includes changes to regulations.
The proposal was put forward as recreational fishers raised concerns that current recreational fishing regulations for the species are considered outdated, particularly the 5 fish per person per day bag limit, seen as beyond a reasonable day’s harvest for valued fish of such a large size.
The survey was open for a two-week period and recreational fishers were asked to answer nine questions including if they support the proposed regulations changes, restarting a mulloway tagging program and trialling a mulloway stocking program as proposed in the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s proposed Mulloway Improvement Program.
A total of 502 respondents participated in the survey. VRFish distributed the survey via our website, social media, and an email invitation sent to VRFish members and subscribers including our database of recreational fishing licence holders.
Of the survey respondents, 82% recreationally fish for mulloway and most commonly target mulloway 10+ days per year (31%). When asked about the proposed actions within the Mulloway Improvement Program, we found that majority of recreational fishers are supportive of:
- Changing the daily bag limit for mulloway from 5 to 2 per person per day (91%)
- Increasing the minimum size limit from 60cm to 70cm (84%)
- Restarting a Victorian mulloway tagging program (93%)
- Introducing a mulloway stocking program (97%)
Additionally, majority of recreational fishers were supportive of making mulloway a recreational only species (84%).
When analysing the data further, we found that those who identified as mulloway fishers in Q1 were slightly more supportive of the proposed changes to bag limits (92%), increased size limit (85%), a mulloway tagging program (94%), and a mulloway stocking program (97%). Additionally, those who identified as mulloway fishers were supportive of mulloway being a recreational only species (87%).
The feedback from the survey will be used to form the VRFish submission to the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s public consultation regarding the Mulloway Improvement Program.
The proposed Mulloway Improvement Program
The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s proposed Mulloway Improvement Program includes a range of short, medium and long-term actions to improve the quality of the mulloway fishery.
Short Term – Revise recreational fishing regulations for mulloway
- Change the bag limit from 5 mulloway per person per day to 2 mulloway per person per day, that better reflects a ‘fair days take’, shares the resource and aligns with other large bodied marine species such as kingfish, tuna and gummy shark, as well as the South Australian bag limit for Mulloway.
- Increase the minimum size limit from 60cm to 70cm to give mulloway approximately 10 months extra protection from harvest, allow more fish to reach sexual maturity/spawning size, and align with the minimum size limit with New South Wales for consistency.
Medium Term – Invest in our understanding of mulloway
- Restart an angler tagging program for mulloway in Victoria to continue understanding growth, movement and connectivity of the species, complementing tagging programs in South Australia and New South Wales.
- Expand on a project to scientifically track mulloway around Melbourne Rivers (led by Arthur Rylah Institute/Melbourne Water) to better understand mulloway spawning, movement and habitat use with respect to flows.
Long Term – Captively breed and stock mulloway
- Trial the experimental release of mulloway in Victorian estuaries to improve populations, building on Victoria’s long history of successful fish stocking.
According to Victorian Fisheries Authority, the proposed Mulloway Improvement Program will better reflect recfisher views of a reasonable day’s harvest, reduce local depletion of mulloway in rivers and estuaries and improve the quality of the mulloway fishery.
For more information on the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s proposal, visit Mulloway Improvement Program.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
You can contribute directly to the Victorian Fisheries Authority consultation by contacting Taylor Hunt, Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Manager of Recreational Fisheries on [email protected] by 15 August 2026.
In particular, the Victorian Fisheries Authority are seeking recreational fisher feedback on:
- Do you have any further suggested refinements to this proposal?
- Do you support implementing this proposal, as compared with no change to current management arrangements?
Find out more about the proposal via the Victorian Fisheries Authority here.
The Results
Q1: Do you recreationally fish for mulloway in Victoria?
Q2: How many days a year do you fish for mulloway? [Never, 1-2 days, 2-5 days, 5-10 days, 10+ days]
Q3: Do you support the proposal to change the Victorian recreational fishing bag limit for mulloway from 5 to 2 fish per person per day?
Q4: Do you support the proposal to increase the Victorian recreational fishing size limit for mulloway from 60cm to 70cm?
Q5: Do you support the proposal to restart a mulloway tagging program in Victoria?
Q6: Do you support the proposal to introduce a mulloway stocking program in Victoria?
Q7: Should mulloway be a recreational only species?
Q8: Do you have any other comments you’d like to make?
Some key themes throughout the additional comments included:
- Support for the proposal
- Concerns raised about the proposal
- Raised concerns about charter boat operators and suggested boat limits for charter operators.
- Suggestions for a bag limit of 1 mulloway, slot limits or size limits increased further than proposed.
- Suggestions for imposing boat limits.
- Suggestions for working with other states (South Australia and New South Wales) or at a national level for cohesion across jurisdictions.
Q9: What is your postcode?
The top 20 postcodes provided in Question 9 were:
| Postcode | Area | Number of responses |
| 3280 | Warrnambool, Dennington | 16 |
| 3305 | Allestree, Bolwarra, Cape Bridgewater, Cashmore, Dutton Way, Gorae, Gorae West, Heathmere, Mount Richmond, Portland, Portland North, Portland West | 13 |
| 3216 | Belmont, Grovedale, Highton, Marshall, Wandana Heights, Waurn Ponds | 11 |
| 3844 | Blackwarry, Callignee, Callignee North, Callignee South, Carrajung,Carrajung Lower,Carrajung South, Flynn, Flynns Creek, Koornalla, Loy Yang, Mount Tassie, Traralgon, Traralgon East, Traralgon South, Tyers | 10 |
| 5290 | Mount Gambier (South Australia) | 10 |
| 3226 | Ocean Grove | 8 |
| 3875 | Bairnsdale, Banksia Peninsula, Bengworden, Broadlands, Bullumwaal, Calulu, Clifton Creek, Deptford, East Bairnsdale, Eastwood, Ellaswood, Fairy Dell, Flaggy Creek,Forge Creek, Goon Nure, Granite Rock, Hillside, Iguana Creek, Lindenow South, Lucknow, Marthavale, Melwood,Merrijig, Mount Taylor, Newlands Arm, Ryans, Sarsfield, Tabberabbera, Walpa, Waterholes, Wentworth, Woodglen, Wuk Wuk, Wy Yung | 8 |
| 3030 | Cocoroc, Point Cook (including Sanctuary Lakes), Quandong, Werribee, Werribee South | 7 |
| 3228 | Bellbrae, Bells Beach, Jan Juc, Torquay | 7 |
| 3021 | Albanvale, Kealba, Kings Park, St Albans | 6 |
| 3805 | Fountain Gate, Narre Warren, Narre Warren South | 6 |
| 3810 | Pakenham, Pakenham South, Pakenham Upper, Rythdale | 6 |
| 3197 | Carrum, Patterson Lakes | 5 |
| 3215 | Bell Park, Bell Post Hill, Drumcondra, Geelong North, Hamlyn Heights, North Geelong, Rippleside | 4 |
| 3223 | Bellarine, Indented Head, Portarlington, St Leonards | 4 |
| 3260 | Bookaar, Bostocks Creek, Bungador, Camperdown, Carpendeit, Chocolyn, Gnotuk, Kariah, Koallah, Leslie Manor, Pomborneit, Pomborneit North, Skibo, South Purrumbete, Stonyford, Tandarook, Tesbury, Weerite | 4 |
| 3284 | Orford, Port Fairy | 4 |
| 3350 | Alfredton, Bakery Hill, Ballarat, Ballarat Central, Ballarat East, Ballarat North, Ballarat West, Black Hill, Brown Hill, Canadian, Eureka, Golden Point, Invermay Park, Lake Wendouree, Lucas, Mount Clear, Mount Helen, Mount Pleasant, Nerrina, Newington, Redan, Soldiers Hill | 4 |
| 3850 | Sale, Wurruk | 4 |
| 3892 | Mallacoota | 4 |
