Inhabit coastal waters of all Australian states except the Northern Territory, being distributed from the northern tip of Fraser Island in Queensland to Onslow in Western Australia. Catches of tailor are much less common in Tasmanian and western Victorian waters than off the east and west coasts, and they are rare in South Australia and the Great Australian Bight.

Stock structure: Electrophoretic studies on tailor have shown that the genetic variation between fish sampled from the eastern and western coasts of Australia is significant and the 2 groups should be considered as separate genetic stocks (Ref. 27688). Tagging studies in Queensland and New South Wales waters indicate that tailor from Sydney north are part of a single stock, but more research is needed to confirm the stock status of fish from southern New South Wales and Victoria.

Commercial fishery: The major fishing grounds for tailor are on the east coast. In most years more than half the total Australian catch is taken in Queensland waters, particularly from North Stradbroke, Moreton and Fraser islands. Most of the Queensland catch is landed on the beaches of those islands using beach seines, although a small quantity is caught from estuaries using gillnets. The highest catches are taken from June to September, coinciding with the northern migration of tailor to the waters of Fraser Island.

In New South Wales, tailor is not a major target species. A considerable quantity is taken incidentally in gillnets from Lake Macquarie and Sydney (Port Jackson and Botany Bay) and some catches are also taken with beach seines from northern New South Wales waters in late winter (Ref. 27112).

In Victoria, tailor are a small component of catches in the eastern bay and inlet fisheries, with the bulk of landings coming from the Gippsland Lakes. Gillnets and beach seines are the main methods used in these fisheries.

Tailor is a minor commercial species in Western Australia. Most of the catch are adult fish taken in the Shark Bay area using beach seines, and the remaining catch consists mainly of 'choppers' (fish less than 35 cm TL) caught from the Peel-Harvey estuary using gillnets.

The tailor catch is sold on domestic markets, mostly as fresh and chilled product although some of the catch is smoked. If marketing delays cause deterioration in quality the catch is sold to pet food canners.

Recreational fishery: Tailor is one of the most popular angling species in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. Estimates of the recreational tailor catch in Queensland indicate that anglers take more fish than commercial operators, especially from Fraser Island beaches (Ref. 27747). Recaptures of tailor tagged in New South Wales ocean waters were higher for recreational fishers than for the commercial sector, although estuarine recaptures were taken mainly by net fishers. A survey of anglers in Western Australia produced an estimate that 86,000 people fished for tailor in 1987 (Ref. 27695). The largest tailor recorded by the Australian Anglers Association weighed 12.1 kg and was caught near Shark Bay in Western Australia.

Anglers mainly fish for tailor using rod-and-line from beaches or rock platforms, using whole baits of pilchard or sea garfish. The baits are presented on 3 or 4 hooks joined or 'ganged' together and weighted with lead sinker for beach fishing and usually unweighted for rock fishing. The use of metal lured or 'spinners' is also popular with anglers fishing from rocks and beaches.

Resource status: Reports of reduced catch rates for recreational fishers have caused some concern about the status of Australian tailor stocks, particularly in Western Australia (Ref. 27695). However, commercial catch levels have remained relatively stable over the past 20 years. More research is needed to determine the sustainability of the prevailing catch levels (both commercial and recreational). Also Ref. 52790.