CANBERRA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The government in South Australia (SA) is planning a three-year ban on fishing for snapper to allow depleted stocks to recover.

The statewide three-year ban, which could come into effect in October, was one of two options in a consultation paper on saving SA’s snapper populations released by the government.

Under the second proposal, snapper fishing would be banned everywhere except for waters in the state’s southeast. The region, however, would still be subject to seasonal bans.

Tim Whetstone, South Australia’s Primary Indus-tries Minister, said that the severity of the situation meant “some tough decisions” had to be made despite the impact on the fishing community and coastal towns that rely on fishing tourism.

“The science shows drastic action is required to protect snapper stocks and for the future of this fishery,’’ he said, according to the News Corp Australia on Thursday.

"As this species is long lived and slow growing, if we do not make the right decision now there will be ramifications for years to come, and there is a real possibility that our grandchildren won’t be able to catch a snapper in South Australian gulfs."

The government will hold a consultation period, during which the public can make submissions on the two options, until August 30 and will announce which option will be adopted later.