Victoria’s mighty King George whiting on the menu

by Victorian Dept Primary Industries on 30 Mar 2010 Victorian anglers and seafood consumers have been taking advantage of an abundance of King George whiting in Victorian waters recently. The last few King George whiting seasons have been highly productive with good catches by both recreational and commercial fishers.

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

Research shows that those caught in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port 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 east with prevailing winds and ocean currents and settle in shallow sheltered marine waters, such as Port Phillip Bay, at 3 to 5 months of age.

Fisheries Victoria scientists have found that a substantial portion of the whiting caught in Port Phillip Bay in the last two years have come from a highly successful spawning in 2005 and subsequent settlement of small juveniles in the Bay.

While whiting spawning is naturally variable over time, reasonable settlement of small whiting in 2007 and 2008 should see good whiting fishing continue for some time.

The current recreational daily bag limit for King George whiting is 20 fish per person, all of which must be longer than 27cm. Anglers are encouraged 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.

http://new.dpi.vic.gov.au/