Inhabit coastal and estuarine waters of eastern Australia from Townsville in Queensland to the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria (Ref. 28263).

Stock structure: The stock structure of yellowfin bream is uncertain. It has been proposed that separate stocks of this species exists for each estuary (Ref. 28261). However, tagging of yellowfin bream in northern New South Wales by NSW Fisheries had confirmed that some fish migrate considerable distances. These results indicated that a single stock of yellowfin bream exists.

Commercial fishery: The yellowfin bream fishery extends from Bundaberg in Queensland to Bermagui on the south coast of New South Wales. Most of the catch is taken from estuarine waters. The most important estuaries in New South Wales are Clarence River, Port Stephens, Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah Lakes and Botany Bay. In Queensland almost half of the yellowfin bream catch is taken from Moreton Bay (Ref. 28267). Yellowfin bream are caught throughout the year but catches are greatest during autumn and winter.

Tunnel nets are the main gear used to catch yellowfin bream in Queensland, and some catch is taken with gillnets. In New South Wales gillnets and haul seines are the most common gear used (Ref. 26523). Traps are employed in the lower regions of some estuaries and beach seines are sometimes used from ocean beaches. Fishing in estuaries is normally carried out at night (Ref. 26523). Small quantities of yellowfin bream sometimes form a bycatch of inshore trawling and trapping.

Yellowfin bream are sold exclusively on domestic fresh fish markets. They are normally sold as whole chilled product.

Recreational fishery: Yellowfin bream are one of the most popular angling species in estuaries and from ocean beaches and headlands in southern Queensland and New South Wales. The recreational catch of yellowfin bream by southern Queensland anglers exceeds the commercial catch for that State (Ref. 27635). Surveys in northern New South Wales rivers by NSW Fisheries have also shown higher catches by recreational catches.

Yellowfin bream are caught mainly with baited rod-and-line or handline. Live yabbies (Callianassa australiensis), beachworms (Onuphidae), crabs and fresh baits of prawns, pipis, fish flesh or whole small fish are used to catch yellowfin bream.

The Australian Anglers Association record for yellowfin bream is 4.5 kg for a fish caught in New South Wales in 1984.

Resource status: The New South Wales and Queensland yellowfin bream stocks are probably fully exploited, yet population levels appear to be stable. Environmental and habitat changes in southern Australian estuaries as well as increased fishing effort by recreational anglers are likely to have an important influence on future population levels of this species.

In Queensland, there's a declining trend in total catch and an increase in catch rate. Also, targeting of spawning schools by fishers; and coastal developments have reduced suitable spawning and feeding habits (Ref. 30572). Catch statistics indicate that fish stocks remained relatively stable from 1988 to 1995 (Ref. 30572). Also Ref. 44894.