Bright future for King George whiting

JUVENILE King George whiting numbers in Port Phillip Bay are the best they’ve been since 2021 according to new surveys released by the Victorian Fisheries Authority.

Field surveys undertaken by fisheries scientists late last year recorded better numbers of the popular fish than in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Annual searches for baby whiting in shallow seagrass habitats have been undertaken at several sites around the bay for more than 25 years and continue to be a reliable predictor of future catches.

The VFA said the quality of fishing overall in Port Phillip has been outstanding since the removal all commercial net fishing in the bay in 2022, leaving more fish like whiting, flathead, calamari and snapper for recreational anglers.

These most recent positive survey results in Port Phillip are indicative of juvenile whiting numbers in other Victorian waters such as Western Port and Corner Inlet.

“These survey results are great news for recreational fishers given the immense popularity of King George whiting as a delicious table fish that can be caught from boats and the shore, and with relatively simple fishing gear,” VFA senior manager recreational fisheries Taylor Hunt said.

Once King George whiting begin maturing, they will leave locals bays and enter coastal waters where they spawn in winter.

The whiting larvae then drift eastward for around three months before entering Port Phillip and other bays and estuaries in spring, when the scientists conduct the surveys in seagrass beds, which are favored habitat of these small fish.

King George whiting only stay in the bays for a few years of their life, before leaving at aged four to complete their life in coastal waters.