Tailor ( <i>Pomatomus saltatrix</i> ) off Western Australia: where does it Spawn and how are the Larvae Distributed?

Abstract

Tailor is a key finfish resource in Western Australia and is heavily exploited, but there has been no information either on the location and timing of spawning of the species in these waters or on the subsequent distribution and movements of the larvae. The present study has reviewed the literature to elucidate where tailor typically spawn and in which salinities and water temperatures they are most likely to be found. These data have then been collated with new data on the biology of juvenile and adult tailor in Western Australia, and on the salinities, temperatures and water movements off the coast. This has enabled a hypothesis to be developed delineating where spawning is likely to occur in this region and where the larvae are distributed. It is proposed that spawning occurs in inner-shelf waters between spring and autumn. Eggs and larvae are most likely to be transported to coastal nursery areas by wind-driven northward coastal currents that predominate during the main spawning period.