King George whiting abound in Port Phillip Bay

Annual surveys of Port Phillip Bay reveal excellent numbers of juvenile King George whiting with the new strong year-class expected to grow quickly to catchable size by the Spring of 2018.

The annual surveys have been undertaken around the bay since 1998 and are considered to be a reliable predictor of future catches.

For example, the bumper whiting catches enjoyed by anglers in recent times are the result of exceptional juvenile whiting numbers detected in the 2013 survey.

Anglers have welcomed the latest results given low juvenile whiting counts in 2014 and 2015 that caused alarm as noted in this article.

People fishing outside the bays along the coast can expect increased catches of larger whiting over the next few years as these mature fish move out to spawn during winter, most likely off far western Victoria and eastern SA.

The tiny whiting larvae drift eastward for some three months before entering Port Phillip Bay and other sheltered bays in spring, where Fisheries' scientists conduct surveys in seagrass beds.

Westerly winds help drive currents that bring whiting larvae into the bay, where they take about two years to reach the minimum size of 27cm. At about four years of age, most whiting have left the bays to complete their life in coastal waters.

Because whiting only reside in the bays for a few years of their life, these fisheries naturally fluctuate depending on the number of tiny larvae that entered the bays several years prior.

High numbers recorded in the most recent survey were consistent with a 2016 winter-spring climate characterised by frequent and strong westerly winds. All of which is great news for Victoria's Target One Million angling initiative.

Although it's more than 10 years old there's some great advice in this archival story about catching King George Whiting.

Photo Credit: Mainly from Reel Time Charters on Port Phillip Bay.