As Christmas and the New Year rolled by, South Australian anglers made the most of the good weather (in contrast to the poor Queenslanders!) by dropping a line in and scoring some great catches. But a few, took shark fishing a little too far, drawing the attention of the Department of Primary Industries and prompting some warnings.

Back in 2012, new rules were imposed on recreational anglers to help protect swimmers at popular beaches. Specifically, they placed restrictions on the tackle and fishing practices used by anglers when targeting sharks. This month, the DPI received reports from Henley, Grange, Hallet Cove, Semaphore and West Beach, of shark fishing practices in breach of the rules, so they thought it might be timely to remind everyone about what's ok, and what's not cool when it comes to fishing for sharks.

Shark fishing rules in Metropolitan SA -You must use hooks smaller than 56mm long, with a gape of less than 23mm. -Wire traces are banned, and monofilament traces must have a diameter of less than 1mm. -You cannot burley the water with: Blood, bone, meat, offal, animal skin.

Anglers caught in breach of the rules face a fine of $375, as well as risking the lives of swimmers at nearby beaches. So keep those hooks down, and the burley buckets clean!

For more information, and a map of the area's where these rules apply, check out this pdf from the PIRSA.

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