Kendall BW and Gray CA (2009) Reproduction, age and growth of Sillago maculata in south-eastern Australia. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 25: 529-536.

Available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2009.01252.x

Summary

Trumpeter whiting are an important species in the recreational and commercial estuarine fisheries in NSW. Little is known of their biology to assess the status of populations and the impacts of management regulations. Estuarine populations of trumpeter whiting (Sillago maculata) in NSW were investigated for reproduction, age and growth. The egg development of females was asynchronous, with individuals probably spawning multiple times in a spawning season. Peak spawning occurred between September and February and the estimated mean length at maturity was 14.6 cm fork length for males and 15.2 cm fork length for females. A validated aging protocol using thin sectioned otoliths was used to estimate the age of fish. The maximum ages for males and females were 9.5 and 12.0 years respectively. Growth differed between sexes with males growing slower and attaining a smaller maximum length than females. The age composition of gill-net samples and those retained in commercial beach-seines mainly consisted of individuals aged 2 to 5 years.