The eastern blue groper can grow up to one metre long and weigh in at up to 50 kilograms. (Supplied: Above and Below Adventures)
In short:
The NSW government has extended a complete fishing ban on the eastern blue groper by three years, following a one year trial.
The ban has been widely criticised by anglers who claim it is not based in science and fails to address the wider climate issues which are having an adverse impact on the species.
What's next?
The government said it would use the three years to commission further research on the state fish and come up with a plan for its conservation.
The NSW government has extended a total fishing ban on the iconic eastern blue groper, despite the species being listed as sustainable by the fisheries watchdog.
The ban was initially put in place in February last year following two illegal spear fishing incidents — which had nothing to do with then-legal line fishing — and had been widely criticised by recreational fishing groups, who claimed the species was not in decline.
On Friday, NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty extended the total ban until March 2028, quoting "following scientific advice and community feedback".
That's despite the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) finding the fish were at a sustainable level across NSW, and pressure from fishing "very low", with "limited numbers being harvested by recreational fishers before the complete ban was implemented in 2024".
The number of eastern blue gropers in NSW is stable according to the state's fisheries authority. (Flickr: Klaus Stiefel, Eastern blue groper, CC BY-NC 2.0)
Stan Konstantaras from the NSW Recreational Fishing Alliance said the extension was "disappointing" and did nothing to address the root issues of decline, which were likely climate-related.
A study published in February found numbers of eastern blue groper, which is the state fish of New South Wales, had halved in Sydney's shallow waters since 2008, and could be in decline because of warming oceans due to climate change.
"Recreational fishing is really the lowest hanging fruit on the tree. There is no effort to deal with climate change, water quality or habitat degradation,"
Mr Konstantaras said.
Ms Moriarty said she had considered a "range of important factors" including the study, which "raised concerns about the potential impacts of climate change and that caution should be taken in managing the species due to their unique biological traits".
"There is a community expectation that we take every step possible to understand any potential impacts that climate change may be having on the species," she said.
"Three further years of scientific monitoring will deliver a deeper level of understanding of how this wonderful fish is coping with warming conditions and what impact those conditions are having on the population, particularly in our inshore waters where people interact with the eastern blue groper.
"I know some fishers will be disappointed, but I also know there are many in the NSW community, including fishers, who want this state fish protected and that is what the government is doing."
Climate could be driving decline in NSW's state fish: study
Photo shows A blue fish front-on with a piece of kelp or feather star balanced above its beak.
Warning citizen scientists may not answer call
The minister said the government would be considering "how the community can get involved" with the protection of the species through citizen science programs, but the recreational anglers often relied upon to collect are unlikely to scramble to help.
Mr Konstantaras warned the snap ban and subsequent extension had severely damaged trust between anglers and the DPIRD.
"All indicators are that we are not the problem, and here we are with the whole thing getting pinned on recreational fishing,"
he said.
Recreational Fishing Alliance NSW president Stan Konstantaras. (Supplied: Stan Konstantaras )
He said it was "disappointing" to see decisions about conservation "made on the whims of the public".
"There has always been a willingness to assist in citizen science programs by fishers in NSW and an acceptance of the areas that afford more protection for groper that allows the public the chance to interact with groper in a safe environment," he said.
"It has also set a worrying predicament that this trigger could be pulled on any other fish species by the minister."
Ms Moriarty told an estimates hearing last March the government was "protecting it [groper] because of the community feelings around the protection of this particular species".
James Sherwood from the Australian Marine Conservation Society said the extension of the ban was a "great first step" and said it would give the government sufficient time to commission research and create a monitoring program.
Eastern blue groper's are friendly and curious. (Supplied: Above and Below Adventures)
He said the next step should be a permanent ban and the creation of additional marine sanctuaries.
"Only around seven per cent of the NSW coast is adequately protected by marine sanctuaries and the NSW government urgently needs to increase this to ensure that our marine life thrives into the future," he said.
Department already thought groper stock was stable
Even before the ban, however, DPIRD's position was that blue groper numbers were stable.
The department's last recreational fishing survey, in 2021-22, suggested 387 groper were caught but only 164 kept.
Sean Sloan, the NSW deputy secretary for fisheries and forestry, acknowledged in a budget estimates hearing last March the low reported take of fish would not have a great impact on stocks.
Female blue gropers are more of a greeny colour but turn blue when they change into males after about 10 years.
But he also said diver censuses and video surveys since 1996 showed blue groper were relatively stable, but not going up either.
"The numbers of groper on these reefs that are being surveyed have not been increasing," he told the hearing.
Last year's budget estimates also revealed the minister sought advice from DPIRD on the option of banning line fishing following the spearing incidents.
She was then presented by DPIRD with four regulatory options:
- Retain current line fishing rules for blue groper.
- Retain current line fishing rules for blue groper, undertake a statewide advisory campaign promoting spearfishing rules for blue groper and implement a 300m extension to the spearfishing closure at South Cronulla.
- Review blue groper management under a broadscale review of all recreational fishing possession and size limits.
- Prohibit line fishing for blue groper for 12 months, during which time consultation with the community will occur on future management rules for blue groper (DPIRD's recommended option).
Marine scientists like Neville Barrett, from the University of Tasmania, have said while the department deemed the blue groper stock stable, we didn't know how their populations had fluctuated over the past 100 years.
"I wish we had this data going back 100 years because I think we'd have a massive decline in abundance," he said.
There are also concerns the fish is moving further south with warming oceans from climate change.