The estuarine whiting is distributed along both the east and west coasts of India, primarily inhabiting the muddy substrates of estuaries.

[5] The fish is named in honor of S. G. Vincent, a Technical Officer of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Cochin, India, for his assistance in collecting the type specimens.

[6] The estuarine whiting is very similar to S. sihama in its external morphology, with a dissection of the swimbladder required to identify the species in the field.

The spinous dorsal fin is hyaline with the tips of the membranes dusky and blotched with fine dusted black spots.

The second dorsal fin is hyaline to pale white with 5 to 7 rows of blackish spots, giving a vague appearance of lateral bands.

In his description of S. vincenti, McKay noted that egg bearing females of 25 to 28 cm in length were present in January and February, suggesting this to be at least part of the spawning period.

Fishermen often catch the species in the upper reaches of estuaries, making it important in many communities situated in deltaic regions of India.

The species is recognized as having considerable potential for aquaculture in impoundments and tidal ponds, with a reported rapid growth rate.