The New South Wales government has proposed significant cuts to commercial and recreational fishing limits for snapper and yellowtail kingfish, sparking a fierce debate between conservation aims and industry survival.\n\nAgriculture Minister Tara Moriarty described kingfish stocks as "dangerously low". The government is proposing to reduce the annual commercial kingfish catch from 250 tonnes to 120 tonnes. Snapper limits would stay at 300 tonnes annually but would be subject to new monthly caps. Recreational fishers would face a bag limit of three snapper, with only one over 70 centimetres.\n\nAdam Hambley, who owns Naeco Blue Seafood in South Grafton, said the tighter supply would inevitably drive up prices. "If we see a $5 increase on the whole fish, we're going to see a $20 increase in the fillet, so you're going to near $80-90 a kilo for snapper fillets... I don't believe that anyone here will pay that much," he said. He warned that if prices rose, the fish would "simply disappear out of the local area".\n\nCommercial fisherman Noel Gogerly, who operates out of Tuncurry on the mid north coast, said his daily snapper haul could drop from 40 kilograms to just 10 kilograms, costing him up to $300 a day. He also raised concerns about bycatch mortality. "You're going to have snapper just laying on top of the water," he said. "The fish will die, the sharks will eat them and it's just a good product that's going to go to waste."\n\nCharter boat operators say they are equally vulnerable. Craig McGill said the proposed change reducing the yellowtail kingfish recreational limit from five per person to one per boat could destroy his business. "That would probably be the end of me," he said.