The northern whiting inhabits coastal areas to 60 m, but is most often found in shallow water around bays and estuaries, often entering freshwater.

[4] The northern whiting was first described by Peter Forsskål in 1775 under the name Atherina sihama, mistaking the fish as a species of hardyhead.

[7] These reports were never etched into the literature on the species, possibly because of presumed confusion with the similar but unrelated and larger milkfish and bonefish that inhabit the area.

The two anterior extensions extend forward and diverge to end on each side of the basioccipital above the auditory capsule.

Two lateral extensions also commence anteriorly, each of them sending a blind tubule anterolaterally and then extending along the abdominal wall.

[6] The northern whiting is the most geographically widespread of the Sillaginidae, but is still confined to the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

[12] The northern whiting is primarily an inshore species, rarely seen in depth of more than 20 m. It commonly inhabits both high energy beaches and sandbars as well as more protected bays along mangrove creeks and tidal flats.

The species commonly enters estuaries, and has even been recorded in freshwater, despite the fact it has no anatomical adaptations to cope with this change.

The principal items of diet are polychaete worms, small prawns and copepods,[14] with other Crustacea including Decapoda,[15] Ocypoda, shrimps, and amphipods also taken.

The species often has a similar, but slightly different diet compared to other coexisting sillaginids and other fishes,[14] with few cases of wide dietary overlap recorded.

[6] The eggs and larval development of S. sihama has been extensively described separately by Bensam and Kato et al., with the distinguishing feature of the larvae being the pattern of melanophores distributed on the caudal fin base, having these in a vertical line.

[13][22] Considerable catches of northern whiting are made but generally not reflected in the fishery statistics of countries they are taken in.

The catches reported in this single country range from 102 t (1980) to 859 t (1982) with an average of 404 t.[6] The species has come under heavy threat in Chinese waters from overfishing and environmental pollution.