Endemic to the southern regions of the Australian continental shelf. Distributed from Moreton Bay in Queensland, through New South Wales and Victoria to Anxious Bay in South Australia (Ref. 27573). They are also present on the east coast of Tasmania.

Stock structure: Genetic studies of this species have identified 4 separate stocks (Ref. 27573). Fish from northern New South Wales are distinct from southern New South Wales fish, and these appear to be part of a separate stock which extends through eastern and central Bass Strait. The other stocks are present in Tasmania and from western Victoria to Anxious Bay (Ref. 27573).

Commercial fishery: There are two main fisheries for eastern school whiting, the largest being located within the South East Fishery. Approximately 90% of the South East Fishery catch is taken by Danish seine vessels fishing in eastern Bass Strait (Ref. 27205). Most of the vessels operate from the port of Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria. A few Danish seine vessels operate from the port of San Remo and fish grounds close to the port as well as grounds immediately east of Wilsons Promontory (Ref. 27575).

Danish seine vessels have operated from Lakes Entrance since 1946, when the eastern Bass Strait grounds began to develop (Ref. 27205). Up until 1970 the annual catch of school whiting from eastern Bass Strait varied between 30 t and 270 t, but with the development of an export market in Japan, target fishing for school whiting increased. Catches from the South East Fishery varied between 400 t and 800 t per annum from 1970 to 1985, mainly as a function of the number of Danish seine vessels operating in any year (Ref. 27613). Catches have since increased up to 2100 t per annum. Catch rates of school whiting in Bass Strait are highest in autumn and winter (Ref. 27613) although some catch is taken all year. Almost 90% of the catch comes from waters less than 50 m deep, regardless of season (Ref. 27613).

Only small quantiites of school whiting are caught by demersal otter trawl vessels within the South East Fishery. The trawl catches are widely distributed through southern New South Wales and eastern Victorian waters and normally form a bycatch of tiger flathead (Neoplatycephalus richardsoni) and jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus).

The second major fishery for eastern school whiting is located off the northern New South Wales coast. Trawl vessels fishing from the port of Iluka catch school whiting as a bycatch of fishing for eastern king prawns (Penaeus plebejus). Some school whiting is also caught by vessels from Coffs Harbour and Evans Head. The fishery commenced in the mid 1970s. It developed rapidly and catches reached about 700 t by the early 1980s (Ref. 27613), stabilising at about 500 t by the mid 1980s (Ref. 27576). Fishers target school whiting when prawn catches are low or when export demand is high (Ref. 27614). The highest catch rates are recorded in late autumn and winter in this fishery (Ref. 27615). Prior to 1986, fishers used modified prawn trawls to increase the catch rate of school whiting, but regulations were introduced to discourage this practice in Commonwealth waters from May 1986 (Ref. 27576). In northern New South Wales, stout whiting (Sillago robusta) form a significant bycatch of trawling for eastern school whiting, constituting about 10% of the total whiting catch (Ref. 27615).

Minor school whiting fisheries exist in other areas. In recent years an inshore trawl fishery for eastern school whiting has started in eastern Tasmanian waters. The Tasmanian catch exceeded 100 t in 1989-90. School whiting are also caught with beach seines inshore in Victoria and Tasmania.

Only small amounts of school whiting are sold on the domestic market. All of the eastern school whiting landed at Iluka and Lakes Entrance are exported. Cartons of whole fish are frozen and sent either directly to Japan for processing or to Thailand for processing into 'butterfly' fillets and subsequent re-export to Japan (Ref. 27614). In 1988- 89, 745 t of frozen whole whiting was sent to Japan, 322 t to Thailand, and nearly 300 t shared between Taiwan, Singapore and China.

Recreational fishery: Eastern school whiting are caught occasionally by anglers in New South Wales, Victorian and Tasmanian waters (Ref. 27613).

Resource status: Estimates of biomass for eastern shool whiting in the South East Fishery are variable and sensitive to estimates of catchability for the species. The more conservative estimates indicated sustainability of catch levels in 1993. More information on the northern New South Wales stock is needed for reliable assessment of the resource. Presently, the bulk of the catch is taken from just one of the four identified stocks (Ref. 27613).