Snapper Restocking Program

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:50): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of snapper spawning at the South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: As we all know, snapper is an iconic and highly valued species in South Australia. The government's restocking program was established to help rebuild depleted snapper populations in Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent. The program relies heavily on the broodstock's ability to spawn successfully each season, with egg and larval production underpinning the program's overall effectiveness. Given the significant investment and the importance of this species to both commercial and recreational fishers, the community rightly expects this program to be closely monitored and transparently reported. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister advise whether there have been setbacks with the snapper restocking program or whether it is currently meeting its expected spawning and production targets for this season?

2. Has broodstock spawning commenced in line with seasonal expectations, and how does the timing, frequency and scale of the spawning this year compare with previous years?

3. Can the minister provide details on the number of viable eggs collected and larvae produced so far this season, and whether these figures are on track to meet program objectives?

4. If spawning activity or outputs are below expectations, what are the causes and what specific contingency or remedial measures is the department implementing to safeguard the success of the program?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:52): I thank the honourable member for his question. The specifics I am happy to take on notice and bring back a response to this place. More generally, certainly the snapper restocking program was an important part of the snapper science that we invested in early in our term, due to the fact that snapper stocks in all parts of the state, except for the South-East fishery, were depleted. There was initially a snapper closure implemented under the previous government, which then needed to be further extended. The restocking program, which involved the growth of and release of fingerlings, was part of that, and I am happy to provide additional information in terms of the detail.