Fisheries surveys around Port Phillip have recorded the highest number of juvenile King George whiting since 2021!
This is 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 with relatively simple gear.
The quality of fishing overall in Port Phillip has been outstanding since we removed all commercial net fishing in the bay in 2022, leaving more fish like whiting, flathead, calamari, and snapper for anglers.
Our annual surveys of baby whiting in shallow seagrass habitats have been undertaken at several sites around the bay for more than 25 years and have proved to be a reliable predictor of future catches.
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.
Once King George whiting begin maturing, they leave our bays and enter coastal waters where they spawn in winter, most likely off far western Victoria and eastern South Australia.
Whiting larvae then drift eastward for around 3 months before entering Port Phillip and other bays in spring, when our scientists conduct the surveys in seagrass beds, which are the favoured habitat of these small fish.