Stout Whiting

Interesting Info

• In Australia, the Stout Whiting occurs from Western Australia across to the Gulf of Carpentaria, through Queensland and southwards to northern New South Wales.
• It is distinguished from other whiting by its stouter, more robust body shape and a series of dusky to golden spots along the flanks.
• The body is silvery with a faint bronze or yellow sheen, helping it blend with sandy seafloors where it spends most of its life.
• Juveniles use estuaries, sandy bays, and seagrass beds as nursery areas before moving offshore as they mature.
• Adults prefer deeper offshore habitats, where they form schools over sandy substrates in 20–60 m of water.
• They feed on small benthic invertebrates such as amphipods, polychaete worms, shrimps, and small molluscs.
• Spawning takes place offshore in spring and summer, with eggs and larvae drifting back towards coastal nurseries.
• Their lifespan is around 7–8 years, with most commercially caught fish between 2 and 5 years old.
• Stout Whiting are often confused with Eastern School Whiting, but the stouter body and localised Queensland/NSW range help separate them.
• They are targeted in offshore trawl fisheries, especially off southern Queensland, where they support a significant commercial fishery.
• Predators include larger demersal fishes such as flathead, snapper, mulloway, and trevally, as well as seabirds in shallower zones.
• They play an important ecological role by feeding on small invertebrates and providing food for larger coastal predators.