*

Sand Whiting is a sustainable species along the east coast of Australia. It is most abundant in southern QLD and northern NSW.

Sand Whiting occurs along the east coast of Australia and is most abundant in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Recent tagging studies have shown movement of adult fish between estuaries separated by distances of up to 450 km and across state management jurisdictions [Gray 2023], but conclusive information on biological stock boundaries remains incomplete. The unknown nature of biological stock composition means no formal assessment at the biological stock level has been completed. Separate assessments of Sand Whiting have been conducted in Queensland and New South Wales [Hoyle et al. 2000; O'Neill 2000; Ochwada-Doyle et al. 2014; Leigh et al. 2019; Hall 2020].

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the jurisdictional level—Queensland and New South Wales.

New South Wales

In New South Wales, Sand Whiting is mainly taken by the commercial Estuary General Fishery using mesh nets and general-purpose hauling nets, and smaller catches are reported by the Ocean Hauling Fishery [Hall 2020]. Annual commercial catches of Sand Whiting in New South Wales waters remained above 130 tonnes (t) between 1980–91 and 2007–08 but have decreased to below 100 t since 2015–16 and reached the lowest catch in five decades of 54 t in 2021–22 [Hall 2023]. These recent decreases in catches have coincided with similar declines in effort, such that the standardised commercial catch rates for both the mesh netting and hauling sectors, while variable, have remained near long-term averages over the last 13 years and were above average over the last three years [Hall 2023]. The length compositions of the commercial landings for this species have been relatively stable since the late-1960s (although the time-series has many missing years) [NSW DPI, unpublished data]. Recent size and age structures sampled from landed commercial fishing catches suggest that Sand Whiting caught by hauling nets tend to be smaller and mostly between two and five years of age, whereas those caught by meshing nets are on average larger and contain more fish between the ages of six and twelve [Hall 2023]. Historical fishery-independent sampling from the 2000s using multi-panel mesh nets with a range of mesh sizes, suggest that size and age structures vary among NSW estuaries that also vary in fisheries management history and estuary mouth opening and closing cycles [Gray 2023]. 

The most recent estimate of the recreational harvest of Sand Whiting in New South Wales was approximately 165,755 fish or around 46.1 t during 2019–20 [Murphy et al. 2022]. This estimate was based on a survey of Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) Households, comprised of at least one fisher possessing a long-term (1 or 3 years duration) fishing licence and any other fishers resident within their household. The equivalent estimates from previous surveys were 172,941 fish in 2013–14 and 120,831 fish in 2017–18, which suggests catches have recently increased [Murphy et al. 2020]. A survey of Aboriginal cultural fishing in the Tweed River catchment identified Sand Whiting as one of the top 10 most important species numerically in catches and was estimated to account for 14.2% of the total finfish catches in that catchment [Schnierer and Egan 2016]. Statewide estimates of the annual Aboriginal harvest of Sand Whiting in NSW waters are unknown but are assumed to be significant. 

In combination, the above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired.

Nominal effort levels (in total number of days fished) over the past 11 years have been well below historical levels. In 2021–22, effort was 7,171 days for mesh netting and 762 days for hauling compared with 23,093 and 8,012 days, respectively, in 1998–99 [Hall 2020]. Changes in catch reporting from monthly to daily records in July 1997 significantly altered effort distributions and would account for some of the historical decrease. There is a minimum legal length for both commercial and recreational fishers of 270 mm TL and 31 estuaries are designated as recreational fishing havens following a commercial fishing licence buyout in 2016, which has reduced commercial fishing pressure on the spawning stock. Estimates of total mortality from catch curves indicate that the rate of fishing mortality is likely to be less than or equal to that of natural mortality [Ochwada-Doyle et al. 2014; Hall 2023]. Collectively, the above evidence indicates that the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, Sand Whiting in New South Wales is classified as a sustainable stock.

Sand Whiting biology [Burchmore et al. 1988; Gray 2023; McKay 1992; Ochwada-Doyle et al. 2014; Stocks et al. 2011]

Queensland – Indigenous (Management Methods). For more information see: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/traditional-fishing

Queensland - Commercial (Catch). Queensland commercial and charter data has been sourced from the commercial fisheries logbook program. Further information available through the Queensland Fisheries Summary Report: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/monitoring-research/data/queensland-fisheries-summary-report

Queensland - Recreational Fishing (Catch). Data based at the whole Queensland level and derived from statewide recreational fishing surveys. Where possible, estimates have been converted to weight (tonnes) using best known conversion multipliers. Conversion factors may display regional or temporal variability. In the absence of an adequate conversion factor, data presented as number of fish.

Queensland – Commercial (Management Methods). Harvest strategies are available at: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/sustainable/harvest-strategy

New South Wales – Commercial (Catch). Data are provided for financial years.

New South Wales – Recreational (Catch). Estimates from Murphy et al. [2020, 2022], based on a survey of Recreational Fishing Licence households.

New South Wales – Indigenous (Management Methods). https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aboriginal-fishing

Commercial catch of Sand Whiting - note confidential catch not shown

1. Burchmore, JJ 1988, Biology of four species of Whiting (Pices: Sillaginidae) in Botany Bay, New South Wales, Marine and Freshwater Research, 39: 709–27.
2. Gray, CA, 2023, Connectivity and variation among estuaries in recruitment and population demographics of Sillago ciliata. Ichthyological Research, 70(1): 50-66.
3. Hall, KC 2020, NSW Stock status summary 2018/19 – Sand Whiting (Sillago ciliata). NSW Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, NSW.
4. Hall, KC 2023, NSW Stock status summary 2022/23 – Sand Whiting (Sillago ciliata). NSW Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, NSW.
5. Hoyle, S, Brown, I, Dichmont, C, Sellin, M, Cosgrove, M and McLennan, M 2000, Integrated fish stock assessment and monitoring program, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation project 94/161, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane.
6. Leigh, GM, Yang, WH, O'Neill, MF, McGilvray, JG and Wortmann, J 2019, Stock assessments of bream, whiting and flathead (Acanthopagrus australis, Sillago ciliata and Platycephalus fuscus) in South East Queensland, Technical Report, State of Queensland.
7. McKay, RJ 1992, Sillaginid fishes of the world, vol. 14, FAO synopsis no. 125, Food and Agriculture Organisation.
8. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE and Hughes, JM 2020, The NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program - survey of recreational fishing, 2017/18. Fisheries Final Report Series No. 158.
9. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE and Hughes, JM 2020, The NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program - survey of recreational fishing, 2017/18. Fisheries Final Report Series No. 158.
10. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE, Hughes, JM and Taylor, MD 2022, Survey of recreational fishing in NSW, 2019/20 – Key Results. Fisheries Final Report Series No. 161. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Nelson Bay, NSW.
11. O’Neill, MF 2000, Fishery assessment of the Burnett River, Maroochy River and Pumistone Passage, Project Report QO99012, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane.
12. Ochwada-Doyle, FA, Stocks, J, Barnes, L and Gray, CA 2014, Reproduction, growth and mortality of the exploited sillaginid, Sillago ciliata Cuvier, 1829, Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 30: 870–880, doi: 10.1111/jai.21478.
13. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2021, Dashboard: Recreational Fishing Catch Estimates. Available at https://www.daf.qld,gov,au/business-priorities/fisheries/monitoring-research/monitoring-reporting/recreational-fishing/statewide-recreational-fishing-surveys/dashboard (Accessed: 29 September 2023).
14. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2021, East Coast Inshore Fishery Harvest Strategy: 2017-2026, Brisbane, Queensland. Available at: https://www.publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/b6593048-25b1-46c1-9feb-00a03d6501df/resource/5664c1ae-6d5f-4f1f-b6ef-52ca60b01b43/download/east-coast-inshore-fishery-harvest-strategy.pdf (Accessed 29 September 2023).
15. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2023, Biological Monitoring Program – Sand Whiting (Unpublished Data). For more information, visit: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/monitoring-research/monitoring-reporting/species-specific/sand-whiting (Accessed: 29 September 2023).
16. Queensland Fisheries, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2017, Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027, Brisbane, Queensland. Available at: https://www.publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/155ccffb-3a30-48c1-8144-7892e8a57339/resource/319c7e02-f07b-4b2e-8fd5-a435d2c2f3c9/download/qld-sustainable-fisheries-strategy.pdf (Accessed: 29 September 2023).
17. Schnierer, S and Egan, H 2016, Composition of the Aboriginal harvest of fisheries resources in coastal New South Wales, Australia. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 26:693-709.
18. Stocks, J, Stewart, J and Gray, CA 2011, Using otolith increment widths to infer spatial, temporal and gender variation in the growth of sand whiting Sillago ciliata, Fisheries Management and Ecology, 18: 121–131.
19. Teixeira, D, Janes, R, and Webley, J 2021, 2019–20 Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey Key Results. Project Report. State of Queensland, Brisbane.
20. van de Geer, C, Mills, M, Adams, VM, Pressey, RL and McPhee, D 2013, Impacts of Moreton Bay Marine Park on commercial fishermen, Marine Policy, 39: 248-256.
21. Webley, J, McInnes, K, Teixeira, D, Lawson, A and Quinn, R 2015, Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey 2013–14, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland.