Present from about Broome in Western Australia to the Noosa River in southern Queensland (Ref. 6390). Adults and juveniles taken in Trinity Inlet system at Cairns, Queensland (Ref. 9685).

Stock structure: Distinct stocks are present in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the east coast of Queensland (Williams 1997).

Commercial fishery: Threadfin salmon are fished in the north of Western Australia, in the Northern Territory and in Queensland. In Western Australia they are fished all year from about 19°S northwards. In the Northern Territory, threadfin salmon comprise approximately 30% of the total landings of the barramundi, Lates calcarifer, fishery. There, only licensed barramundi fishers may take king threadfin.

King threadfin form part of a multi-species fishery (which includes barramundi) on the Queensland east coast from about Lloyd Bay southwards and in the Gulf of Carpentaria; although the landings vary between regions. In the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, king threadfin are more commonly harvested; and the catch per unit effort for king threadfin is 5 times higher on the east coast south of about Mackay than it is between Mackay and Cairns (Ref. 27247). From the Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet fishery between 1980 and 1987, king threadfin averaged 30% by weight of total landings. Gulf of Carpentaria catches increased in 1993 and then declined (Williams, 1997).

In terms of value to the inshore fishery in Queensland, king threadfin are second only to barramundi and form the main bycatch of the barramundi fishery. Especially in the Gulf of Carpentaria, king threadfin provide the basis for the foreshore fishery. Threadfin salmon are important during the late dry season cooler months (about June to September), while barramundi tend to dominate the river catches at other times. On the east Queensland coast, king threadfin are caught throughout the year, exhibiting greater catch rates during winter months (May to July) (Ref. 28736, 27247).

Threadfin salmon are caught mainly by coastal set gillnets, but also by fixed tidal traps, beach seines and ring nets, over sandbanks offshore or onshore, or in the mouths of rivers on tidal mud flats.

In the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, the fishery for king threadfin is largely based on male 3-6-year-old fish.

Typically, threadfin salmon are marketed as fillets, either fresh and chilled on ice or frozen. They are shipped interstate or consumed locally. On the east Queensland coast south of Port Douglas and near Darwin in the Northern Territory, king threadfin are often wholesaled as gilled and gutted whole fish, but in the Gulf of Carpentaria, the fishery is for fillets only. In the Northern Territory, threadfin salmon is used largely in the 'fish-and chips' trade. King threadfin especially, fetch high prices and were frequently sold as 'barramundi B'.

Recreational fishery: Threadfin salmon are important sport fish. They are caught with rod-and-reel or handlines, from shore or boat. Live or very fresh baits of oily fish, prawns or crabs as well as lures are used. The recreational fishing record up to 1993 for a threadfin salmon was 13.6 kg from Queensland (Australian Anglers Association records).

Resource status: Fluctuations in catch rates of king threadfin generally mirror those for barramundi, but in central Queensland over recent years the catch rate of king threadfin compared with that of barramundi has dropped (Ref. 3479). In 1993, threadfin salmon appeared to be fully exploited on the east coast but catches were increasing in the Gulf of Carpentaria as better prices were being offered. By 1997, fish numbers in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the east coast of Queensland had declined (Williams 1997).