as with many species of fish, the timing of spawning varies over the range of the species, with gonad development indicating that spawning in the southern new south wales region occurs from december to april, while spawning in southern queensland occurs from september to february. spawning takes place twice a year, evident by the two classes of egg size found in the ovaries and by the two recruitment pulses observed each year as young fish enter their juvenile habitats. the spawning takes place at the mouths of estuaries or in surf zones, with the larvae occurring in fully marine waters. juveniles reach 16.5 cm in length after their first year of life, 26.7 cm after their second year and 30.5 cm after their third year. after the beginning of the spawning season young whiting of 10 mm and over can be observed swimming actively in small droves of from 10 to 20 on the sand flats and beaches to which they are recruited, moving up and down with the tide, swimming in very shallow water to depths of 1 m. unlike closely related sillaginids, the juveniles usually prefer unprotected sand substrates, while other species tend to use seagrass and mangroves as protection. as they grow older they keep further from the shore.