RECREATIONAL and professional fishing ends in the Southern Zone at 6pm on Sunday.
A winter closure has applied in the local Southern Zone each year since 1968 and affects thousands of recreational fishers as well as the 181 holders of professional licences.
It is part of the sustainable management arrangements for the lobster fishery and is designed to protect spawning female lobster.
The ban covers pots, snares and dropnets and ensures the recreational fishery operates within its allocated share of the public resource.
Lobster pots must be removed from the water once the closure comes into effect on the weekend.
Fisheries officers will continue to conduct patrols along the shoreline and in coastal waters throughout the closed season.
Fishers run the risk of being fined or having their pots confiscated if found in the water during the closed season.
The majority of the 50-strong professional fleet from both ends of Rivoli Bay is now in dry dock at the Beachport boatyard.
The 2020/21 season is due to start on October 1 with the ultimate responsibility for setting the professional quota resting with Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone.
