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.

 

[elliotmc]

Loades of Mullet but not an Eel or flat fish in sight. You could catch buckets of eels back in the 70s in all the east coast estuaries and when I say buckets I mean buckets, using garden worms as bait, you could catch that many until you became bored with catching them. I dont know what became of them but there is none today.

 

[Biggles Wader]

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

That fell a bit flat eh?

 

[Puffin10032]

I've seen Grey Mullet in the estuary of a North Wales river which has Salmon and Sea Trout runs so good water quality. I've heard that Grey Mullet can tolerate pretty poor quality water. In the North Wales river the locals never used to try for the Mullet. They said the results weren't worth the effort.

 

[johnalison]

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

I think that I tried but didn’t get very far for some reason. Perhaps I should try again.

 

[fredrussell]

Loades of Mullet but not an Eel or flat fish in sight. You could catch buckets of eels back in the 70s in all the east coast estuaries and when I say buckets I mean buckets, using garden worms as bait, you could catch that many until you became bored with catching them. I dont know what became of them but there is none today.

The decline of eel populations is very sad and much fretted about by the scientific community. They’re such fascinating creatures. Heartbreaking really.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

The decline of eel populations is very sad and much fretted about by the scientific community. They’re such fascinating creatures. Heartbreaking really.

The value of the trade in smuggling of elvers/glass eels to the Far East is now reckoned to exceed some narcotics - and the penalties are way lower. They don't stand much chance unless this is addressed.

 

[Frayed Knot]

I watched a cormorant wrestling with a small eel recently so hopefully there are a few about but it's certainly sad that what was once an everyday sight on the river is now something to watch and comment on.

 

[johnalison]

The Orford Smokehouse used to be a regular stop for us and their smoked eel was my favourite, but that was back in the ‘70s before most of us knew about the concerns. It looks as if it has gone a bit upmarket since those days. Since then I have only had eel in the Netherlands, either smoked or as paling in t’groen if I’ve got that right. It’s a sort of eel stew in white sauce with parsley.

 

[tillergirl]

Deleted