Spying on yellowtail kingfish

Have you ever wondered where all the kingfish go? Well so has Deakin University, and thanks to a $216,000 grant through fishing licence fees, they’re conducting a 3-year study to better understand the residency and movement of kingfish in our waters.

So far, the team has tagged 10 kingfish with help from local fishers and charter boats off Portland, Port Fairy, Port Phillip Bay,

Western Port and Wilsons Promontory, to see just what these kingies get up to. It’s been a great way to share with the community what goes into research projects like this.

Where are the kingies going? How long are they spending in each place? Are they coming back to Victorian waters? These are the types of questions the team at Deakin and collaborators are hoping to answer.

For now, the researchers are sitting tight until they get a ping from one of the satellite tags, and those with acoustic transmitters to swim past the network of listen stations that have been deployed. As the water cools the team are gearing up for the next season to tag some more.

Deakin Associate Professor of Marine Science

Daniel Ierodiaconou said the team are also deploying advanced baited remote underwater video systems, specifically designed to meet industry needs for documenting pelagic fish.

“Our previous surveys focused on fishes close to the seabed,” he said. “The data we capture now wil complement this information, with species found closer to the surface filling a significant knowledge gap for this region.” – Victorian Fisheries Authority