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Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber - Trepang)

Commercial Fishing for Mullet:

There are two types of commercial fishery for mullet. One is an ocean beach fishery targeting spawning adults a their roe is highly prized. it is in high demand within Australia and overseas. It can be sold fresh, or smoked or dried. Beach seine nets are used for this type of fishery.

The second method of commercial fishery is the estuarine fishery. This accounts for the majority of the mullet catch. Mullet are captured all year round but the majority of the catch occurs in late summer and autumn. Coastal set gillnets and tunnel nets are the main form of gear used for this fishery.

Sea mullet (Mugil cephalus) is an important species for commercial fishers in southern Queensland. The species is a major component of the ocean beach fishery, but is caught in similar numbers in bays, estuaries and near-shore coastal waters primarily south of Bundaberg.

Mullet are caught using a variety of nets and netting methods. The nets and methods used depend on the fishery. Some of the nets used include mesh nets and seine nets.

The estuarine fishery uses gill and tunnel nets to target fish for the local fresh fish market throughout the year. The ocean beach fishery uses seine and haul nets to target pre-spawning fish from April to August to supply an international export market for mullet roe.

There are around 16 species of Mullet in Australian waters, most with silver bodies covered in large clear scales. Available wild-caught, they are free-swimming, mainly marine fish, that school near the surface in estuaries and close to the coast over soft bottoms. They are mainly caught using haul and beach seines, gillnets, and tunnel, pound and ring nets. About 8 species are sold commercially under the name Mullet, though Sea and Diamondscale Mullets can also be marketed under their separate names.

Sea Mullet, distinguished by a transparent gelatinous eyelid, is the largest Australian Mullet. It’s found around the entire coast, moves out to sea from April-July to spawn, and is mainly caught off beaches in Queensland, NSW and WA using set and surround nets. Diamondscale Mullet, distinguished by its silver-olive body and large dark-edged scales, is found around the northern coast from Shark Bay (WA) to the Queensland-NSW border, and is caught mainly off the Queensland coast using beach seines.

Yelloweye Mullet occurs mainly around the southern coast from Kalbarri (WA) to Newcastle (NSW) including Tasmania with a Marine Stewardship Council accredited fishery in Lakes and Coorong (SA); Flat-tail Mullet, from Kalbarri (WA) around the southern coast to Cooktown (Qld) including northern Tasmania; and Bluetail Mullet, in northern waters from Noosa (Qld) to Exmouth Gulf (WA).

Estuary General Fishery in NSW
The Estuary General Fishery is a diverse multi-species multi-method fishery that may operate in 76 of the NSW's estuarine systems. It is the most diverse commercial fishery in NSW and comprises approximately 600 fishing businesses authorised to utilise 17 types of fishing gear. This fishery is a significant contributor to regional and state economies providing high quality seafood and bait to the community.

The Fishery includes all forms of commercial estuarine fishing (other than estuary prawn trawling which comprises the Estuary Prawn Trawl Fishery) in addition to the gathering of pipis and beachworms from ocean beaches. The most frequently used fishing methods are mesh and haul netting. Other methods used include trapping, hand-lining and hand-gathering.

On average, the 10 species that make up over 80% of landings by weight are sea mullet (Mugil cephalus) 40%, luderick (Girella tricuspidata) 8%, yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) 8%, school prawn (Metapenaeus macleayi) 5%, blue swimmer crab (Portunus pelagicus) 4%, dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus) 4%, sand whiting (Sillago ciliata) 3%, pipi (Donax deltoides) 3%, mud crab (Scylla serrata) 3% and silver biddy (Gerres subfasciatus) 2%

 

Scientific Name	Mugil cephalus
Location	QLD, NSW, VIC
Season	All year round
Size	To 78 cm, 1.4 kg
Australian Species Code	37 381002
Taste, Texture	Rich strong fishy taste. Medium/firm & tender

Mullet Fillet

Worldwide Trade Seafood Industry Directory of companies and contacts who are Exporters, Importers & Processors, Wholesale & Agents of Mullet:
Exporters of Mullet
Importers of Mullet
Processors of Mullet
Wholesale Suppliers of Mullet
Buyers Agents for Mullet

Trade-Seafood Directory - See Also:  Grey Mullet,  Red Mullet,  Sea Mullet,  Red Striped Mullet,  Yellow Eye Mullet

See Also:
Sea Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Photographs and Information
Catching Sea Mullet | Fishing for Mullet | Bait for Mullet
Cooking Sea Mullet | Recipes using Mullet
Sea Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Commercial Fishery, Buy Mullet, Sell Mullet
Sea Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Links, Publications & Resources