Yellowfin sillago (Sillago schomburgkii)

Scientific name: Sillago schomburgkii Peters, 1864

Yellowfin sillago (Sillago schomburgkii)

The Yellowfin sillago (Sillago schomburgkii) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sillaginidae.

Biology

Generally frequent inshore sand banks, bars, and spits, and congregate in sandy hollows. At high tide they move in schools across the sand flats and retreat to the slopes of the banks when the tide falls. These whiting are principally marine residents, and can tolerate upper Spencer Gulf waters with salinity as high as 40-50 ppt. They may also penetrate to the limit of the brackish water in tidal creeks, where salinity is as low as 1 ppt. Juveniles inhabit warmer water, mangrove-lined creeks and inshore protected environments over mud bottoms and seagrass beds. The spawning season commences in September and is completed by January in Shark Bay and slightly later along the coast to the south. Oviparous, and are multiple spawners with asynchronous development

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Sillago schomburgkii
Family
Sillaginidae (Smelt-whitings)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
42.0
Depth range
0–30 m (0–98 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 30 m, usually 0 - 2 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean: endemic to Australia, from Dampier to Albany in Western Australia and Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf waters in South Australia. It is not known whether they also occur in the intervening waters.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: likely future use; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.49-0.53; tm=2; tmax=12; Fec=170,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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