September 7, 2026
With spring in the air, the annual snapper run is starting to heat up in Port Phillip and Western Port. If you’re gearing up to land a big red, now’s the perfect time to brush-up on your handling and release skills.
Our snapper fishery in Victoria is world-class. It’s up to us, as recreational fishers, to keep it that way now and into the future. One of the best things we can do is learn how to help released snapper survive and thrive when released back in the water.
When a feeding school is found, it’s common to have multiple hookups. For fishers, this can mean hitting their daily bag limit of three snapper per person (over 40cm) quickly. But if you’ve planned a full day on the water, it can be tempting to keep catching and releasing after reaching your limit. That’s where the challenge lies. There are several factors that can sadly increase the chances of released snapper mortality such as deep hooking, barotrauma, rough handling, and too much time out of the water.
That’s why VRFish introduced the Snapper Stewards program: to give you the know-how and tools to reduce harm and give released snapper the best chance of survival. By adopting simple, proven techniques, every recreational fisher can be part of the solution to protecting this amazing fishery now and for future generations.
This snapper season, become a Snapper Steward and a champion for Victoria’s iconic snapper.
SNAPPER STEWARDS PROGRAM
Snapper Stewards has been broken down into five key points to assist in the survival of released snapper.
- Fish shallow water to avoid barotrauma: Snapper can suffer barotrauma when caught from depths greater than 11 metres. You can help ensure released snapper survive by fishing in shallow water once you’ve caught what you need.
- Leave snapper in the water for release: Air exposure is harmful to all fish species which are being released. Avoid air exposure by de-hooking and releasing the fish while it is still in the water.
- Minimise handling and netting: Avoid all handling of the fish if possible. Snapper have a very delicate layer of skin over their scales which can be damaged through handling and netting. If you must net and remove the fish from the water to de-hook, do so as quickly as possible and avoid hot and dry surfaces.
- Use circle hooks or lures: It’s important to avoid gut-hooking fish intended for release. Avoid gut hooking by fishing with a tight line, using a lure and/or use circle hooks.
- Release snapper quickly: Catching and releasing snapper quickly will improve survival. Minimise the stress on the fish by being quick to catch and release.
Visit our Snapper Stewards program page for more information.
Please acknowledge VRFish, the Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body, as the author of this article and link to our website if distributing or re-using this article. Keep up-to-date on the latest Victorian recreational fishing news on our website.
