It’s good news for recreational anglers with a new survey predicting increased catches of King George whiting in Port Phillip Bay from this summer and autumn.
The predictions, made by Fisheries Victoria scientists, are based on annual surveys of the abundance of small juvenile whiting in seagrass beds around Port Phillip Bay.
The likelihood of increased catches will be welcomed by fishers, who have experienced lower than average whiting catches in the bay in recent years.
King George whiting spawn during winter in coastal waters, often off far Western Victoria and South Australia, then drift eastward before entering Port Phillip Bay and other sheltered bays and estuaries in spring, where they take two to three years to reach legal size. At about four years of age they leave the bay to complete their life in coastal waters.
As King George whiting are only available to the bay fishery for a few years of their life, the fishery is prone to annual fluctuations, meaning regular monitoring is important.
While average numbers of small juvenile whiting were found during surveys in 2011 and 2012, in 2013 scientists measured the third highest number since surveys began in 1998. This means the juvenile whiting detected in 2011 will start to become available to fishers this year, and those from the 2013 survey in 2017.
Fisheries Victoria is collaborating with the University of Melbourne, Deakin University and the South Australian Research and Development Corporation to investigate the links between whiting spawning in South Australia and larvae supply to Victorian bays.
Further research investment in this important species is being undertaken by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation to improve understanding of the biology of the species and management of the fishery.
There is a daily bag limit of 20 King George whiting per person and the legal minimum size is 27cm.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Agriculture, Jaala Pulford
“The Andrews Labor Government is committed to supporting our anglers through our Target One Million plan to boost fish stocks, invest in fishing and boating facilities and increase the number of recreational fishers in Victoria to one million by 2020.”
“While catches are predicted to increase, anglers should be aware they are more likely to catch undersize whiting over the next few years and they should take care to return them to water swiftly and without harm.”
“The important research collaborations being undertaken are critical to better understanding the life cycle of whiting and to supporting sustainable fishing opportunities.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020