MOVEMENT OF TAGGED JUVENILE TAILOR (POMATOMUS SALTATRIX) IN MORETON BAY, QUEENSLAND

Large quantities of tailor, Pomatomus saltatrix, are caught by recreat ional and commercial fishers in coastal waters off New South Wales and Queensland. Juvenile tailor were subject to increasing fishing mortal ity in Moreton Bay (Queensland) in the mid 1980s. A tagging programme, involving State Government fisheries biologists and amateur fishing c lubs, was established in 1986 to examine the movement, growth rate and fisheries exploitation of juvenile tailor (<270 mm fork length) in Mo reton Bay. Of 2173 juvenile tailor tagged in Moreton Bay during Februa ry-July and December 1987, 237 were recaptured over a period of 30 mon ths, representing a recapture rate of 11%. This was a high recapture r ate compared with those in similar finfish tagging studies carried out in Moreton Bay. The recaptured fish moved relatively short distances (mean+/-s.d., 10.2+/-15.0 km; maximum distance, 85 km). Growth data we re unreliable. Estuaries such as Moreton Bay function as nursery areas for tailor prior to their movement onto open surf beaches as adult fi sh. A legal minimum length for tailor was introduced on the basis of t his study.