New vehicle limit for abalone and shellfish abalones
The Department of Environment and Primary Industries has introduced a new limit on the number of abalone and the amount of shellfish that can be possessed in vehicles in south-west Victoria. These limits will help protect these resources and ensure that they are appropriately shared amongst users.

Under the new regulations, no vehicle may have in it more than 10 abalone and 10 litres (two litres if shucked) of other shellfish such as periwinkles, dogwinkles, snails and limpets. The vehicle limit does not apply to mussels, pipis, scallops, octopus or squid.

This new limit is being introduced because Victorian Fisheries Officers have, in recent months, observed large groups travelling in single vehicles to harvest abalone and shellfish in the south-west part of the state. Although the individuals in these groups did not exceed their daily catch limits, they had been returning to harvest shellfish regularly and their collective catch was exerting pressure on the fishery.

The vehicle limit applies to the area bound by the Victorian coastline, the South Australian border, the Hamilton and Glenelg highways (inclusive) and a line running north from the Aire River as displayed in the map below.

abalone graphic map

The new rules have limited impact on local fishers but will discourage large groups from acting in a way which puts the resource at risk.

This limit does not affect the daily bag limit per person for abalone which remains unchanged at 5, of which no more than two can be greenlip. Similarly, the daily catch limit for other molluscs remains unchanged at 5 litres per person (1 litre if shucked).

Fishers are reminded that restrictions on the harvest of abalone and other shellfish from the intertidal zone still apply. Shellfish can only be taken in more than two metres of water to protect these vulnerable areas.