Coral Trout size limits

[Hfisho77]

Hi guys,

I was just checking up on fish legal sizes for an upcoming reef trip and found something I wasn't too sure about. My understanding is that the legal size for all coral trout species is 38cm, however according to this website (daff.qld) blue-spotted/chinese footballer coral trout have a min and max length between 50 and 80cm, while all the other trout species are 38cm. Is this correct or an error?

Help would be appreciated.

[crazywalrus]

that is the way i read it

[BARRAkid]

Yeah mate that is correct the football trout has to be bigger.

[dhess]

Pretty hard to find a big chinese footballer. :silly:

[Potter]

You probably have already been on your trip but thought I would throw in my 2cents.

The Blue-Spot Trout and Chinese Footballer trout are indeed the same species of trout...it is just a different coloration. We use to catch a few out wide on the shelf country or shoals up north.

More likely to catch Bar cheeks, common coral trout and coronation trout on closer reefs. Blue-spots apparently have a faster growth rate (they get massive) and therefore sexually mature at a bigger size. The size limit of 50cm gives them a chance to spawn before legal size. Not sure you would want to eat a trout over 80cm either as the bigger fish have been known to carry Cigutera.

If your not sure on ID... Blue spots have dark pectoral fins... other species of trout have see-through pectoral fins...but fairly easy to tell once you've bagged a couple.

A an old Vid of a couple we caught up in Torres Strait.
/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJNJZIlyvaE