Victoria's Whiting fishery fit for Kings

by VIC Department of Primary Industries on 26 Jan 2009
Victorian anglers and seafood consumers are taking advantage of an abundance of King George whiting in Victorian waters recently.

Anthony Hurst, Acting Executive Director Fisheries Victoria, said the King George whiting season had been highly productive with good catches by both recreational and commercial fishers.

'King George whiting are highly valued for their sport fishing and eating qualities, and are regarded by many as one of the finest eating fish from southern Australia,' Mr Hurst said.

Research on King George whiting shows that whiting caught in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay are likely to come from autumn/early winter spawnings in the coastal waters of western Victoria and southeast South Australia, between Cape Otway and Kangaroo Island.

Larvae and small juveniles move eastwards with prevailing winds and ocean currents and settle in shallow sheltered waters, such as Port Phillip Bay, at 3 to 5 months of age.

It is likely some of the whiting caught in Corner Inlet also come from spawnings in western Victoria, but research suggests recruitment of juvenile whiting to this inlet may also come from spawning grounds in central and eastern Bass Strait.

Fisheries Victoria scientists suggest reasonable settlement of small whiting in 2007 and 2008 will hopefully see good whiting seasons continue for some time.

'The current recreational bag limit for King George whiting is 20 per day, all of which must be longer than 27cm,' Mr Hurst said.

'We encourage anglers to only catch what they need for personal use.'

Recreational anglers are reminded it is illegal to sell or trade fish without a commercial licence.

Commercial catches of whiting in Victoria are taken mainly from bays and inlets, particularly Corner Inlet and Port Phillip Bay. These commercial fisheries are managed primarily by limits on the number of commercial licences, gear restrictions and minimum size limits.