Trumpeter Whiting

Interesting Info

• The Trumpeter Whiting is a medium-sized whiting found on the east coast of Australia, from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales, with occasional records further south into eastern Victoria.
• Its common name comes from the croaking or grunting sound it produces when caught, made by vibrating muscles against the swim bladder.
• The body is pale silver to grey with distinctive dark blotches or bars scattered along the flanks, which help identify it from Sand and Goldenline Whiting.
• Juveniles inhabit shallow sandy estuaries, tidal flats, and seagrass beds, while adults move to deeper estuarine channels and coastal sandbanks.
• They are schooling fish, often forming dense aggregations over sandy bottoms, which makes them a common catch for both recreational and commercial fishers.
• They feed on benthic invertebrates such as worms, amphipods, small crabs, shrimps, and molluscs, using a protrusible jaw to suck prey from sand.
• Spawning occurs offshore in warmer months, with eggs and larvae drifting back into estuaries where juveniles develop.
• Their lifespan is around 6–7 years, with most fish caught between 2–4 years of age.
• Predators include flathead, mulloway, tailor, trevally, and seabirds, particularly in shallow estuaries and surf gutters.
• They are a popular recreational target, caught from beaches, estuary mouths, and piers using baits like worms, yabbies, and pipis.
• Commercially, they are taken in estuarine and inshore net fisheries, marketed fresh and used in the fish-and-chip trade.
• Their ecological role includes regulating invertebrate populations on sandy flats and serving as prey for larger estuarine and coastal predators.