The rock lobster commercial catch quota in South Australia''s lower south east will be capped at 1,250 tonnes until stocks recover. And a month at each end of the southern zone rock lobster season will be cut to help the industry become more sustainable.
The season will run from November to April.
Fisheries minister Michael O'Brien said seven years of declining catch rates prompted the move.
He said if lobster numbers increase he will consider raising the quota again.
"We'll impose a little bit of discipline for the next two years," he said. "If we can get some stability to that particular fishery and then we'll up the quota, and hopefully maintain it at a level in the long-term."
The quota for the northern zone, which stretches from the Murray Mouth to the WA border, will remain at 310 tonnes.
