Stout Whiting - Biology - Reproduction and Growth

Reproduction and Growth

The stout whiting reaches sexual maturity by the end of its second year of life, with around 50% of fish accomplishing this after only one year. The fish are around 13 cm once they reach sexual maturity. The patterns of spawning and movement of the juveniles differs between the eastern and western populations. In the western population, unlike many co-occurring sillaginids, stout whiting do not move inshore to spawn and the juveniles do not make their way to shallower waters; instead they spawn offshore, with the fish spending their entire lives in this environment. In contrast, the eastern population do use inshore nursery areas for the juveniles including bays and surf beaches, with this difference between populations attributed to increased competition between sillaginids by some authors. In both populations, spawning occurs over summer, with the fish spawning multiple times between December and March.

Stout whiting are fast growers in comparison to most other smelt-whitings, reaching 80% of its final length after 2 years of life. The species is known to reach a maximum age of 7 years, although most individuals do not survive more than 3 years.