A sign of good water quality?

[Bonefish Blues]

Red mullet, on the other hand, is just delicious.

But a goatfish, not a mullet, amusingly!

 

[fredrussell]

Well, having read this thread, when next offered this fish there will be no need for me to mull it over.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Well, having read this thread, when next offered this fish there will be no need for me to mull it over.

Can't you find it in your soul to give it a try?

 

[The Q]

Long time ago I was in my Mirror, becalmed in Wardie Bay, near Granton Harbour. There is/was a steel lattice marker for an sewage outfall there, which we'd drifted fairly close to. Didn't seem to be running at the time, and I THINK probably seldom does now apart perhaps from times of high rainfall.

I'd bought a plastic wrapped Scotch Pie (an especially-dodgy class of pie) in a Granton corner shop (an especially-dodgy class of shop) and now took a bite from it, then had a look at the exposed pie-face, which had a horrible pink colour. Then the matching horrible taste and texture hit me.

I spat

Pie fragments could be seen settling through the water column.

The largish fish hanging around the outfall (I THINK Grey Mullet) darted in from all sides...

...Grabbed a mouthfull

...Spat it out

...and darted out again.

So Grey Mullet may not say much for water quality, but they may be quite reliable indicators of the quality, or otherwise, of Scotch Pies.

The last time I had a scotch pie was at school, over 50 years ago, they obviously haven't improved..

The Norfolk Broads water quality has definitely improved, you can often see the bottom even in summer.. problem is that's greatly encouraged weed growth.. from all accounts fish stocks are improving, when we don't have a salt surge..
Our next salt surge is imminent , we've had south Westerlys and comparatively high air pressure, that lowers the water on the broads, when we switch to low air pressure and north easterlies the sea water rushes in and kills lots of fresh water fish..

 

[The Q]

Can't you find it in your sole to give it a try?

Corrected for you..

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Given that grey mullet are just about the only fish that thrives in most marinas, where the water quality is almost by definition poor, you couldn't pay me enough to try it!

 

[johnalison]

Given that grey mullet are just about the only fish that thrives in most marinas, where the water quality is almost by definition poor, you couldn't pay me enough to try it!

I once watched a group of about eight seals form a semicircle against the bank in Hamford Water and slowly close the formation as they drifted up with the tide, taking about twenty minutes to deal presumably with a shoal of mullet. Almost sark, so no photos. I’m sure I have mentioned this before.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I once watched a group of about eight seals form a semicircle against the bank in Hamford Water and slowly close the formation as they drifted up with the tide, taking about twenty minutes to deal presumably with a shoal of mullet. Almost sark, so no photos. I’m sure I have mentioned this before.

You have - I recall suggesting that you report your observation to the Sea Mammals Research Unit at St Andrews.