Mullet - where do they go in winter

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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www.keepturningleft.co.uk
I have some film of mullet at Waldringfield. The information I found out about them said that they only appear in the estuaries once water temperatures go above 10 degrees C

is this true

if it is.... where do they go in the winter.
 
dylanwinter said:
I have some film of mullet at Waldringfield. The information I found out about them said that they only appear in the estuaries once water temperatures go above 10 degrees C

is this true

if it is.... where do they go in the winter.
Click to expand...

Where do mullet go to in Winter?

Not being a species of great commercial interest, there has been very little research carried out on the seasonal movement of mullet.

It used to be assumed that they would migrate southwards once the weather grows colder, but I’ve heard from separate sources of shoals of mullet being encountered by divers in the winter, lying comatose in sheltered water, such as Chichester harbour (the diver was able to handle the fish, and to lay them on their side, leaving them laying there).

If they do indeed go into semi-hibernation in the winter months, that goes some way to explaining the very slow growth rate of fish around our islands (A 3lb fish is around 10 years old, whereas it will be around just 5 years old toward southern Europe).

Where the water is warmer, such as in the South-west, fish will stay and feed all year round.

NMC tagging effort has recorded fish tagged in the UK turning up off the French coast, so they do also move around, although this may have something to do with spawning migration (mullet first spawn around 10 years old, then only every other year, sometimes every third year).
 
I worked as a lad aboard a motoryacht in 1950 and visited the port of Agadir in what was then French Morocco.We anchored in the harbour.After an hour or so viewing the port through binoculars we spotted a fleet of what looked like Tortoise heads above the water,each about the size of a domestic cup. The owner had a .22 air rifle aboard and shot one of the heads, just a small flurry and the fleet carried on undisturbed.The dead one came to the surface and was retrieved by me. It was a very large grey mullet about 2ft long and must have weighed a good 7-8lbs. The owner detailed me to cook it for the evening meal. I needed to spice the flesh quite a lot to get a taste from it, otherwise a very 'flat' taste.
I've seen largish ones on the Hamble but I don't think I'd ever try one of these though, they scour the bottom of my boat leaving four 'fingermarks' where they suck off the fouling, often seen when the yachts are heeled under sail.

ianat182
 
Apparently they went to Iran in the winter, but now they are banned.

Mustaffa Zardi of the secret police displays his mullet hit list.

An-official-describes-app-006.jpg
 
Used to see them a lot around Bradwell warm water outlets so that sounds feasible. Not easy to catch as they have very soft lips plus not tasting very good as said (which is probably why I used to get the damn things on my hook all the time :mad:).

Never saw anything near a couple of pounds though - most were well under a pound I'd guess.
 
I wouldn't eat a mullet unless I knew that it had been caught from the coast, certainly not from an estuary or harbour where boats are kept.

They are not called poo-sifters for nothing....
 
I must admit I thought the normal residence of the mullet was West Germany or 'down home' America. And now I have learnt the fact they are poo sifters just seems to confirm it! Xenophobic? Me? Never!
 
When I was a kid, we used to catch mullet in the Hamble, shine a torch into the river at night and it attracts them, we had a spear made from a oven shelf with the ends of the prongs bashed flat with barbs on.

It was a regular part of my diet on the weekends. Its not particularly tasty but a foodstuff that came free.
 
good one

burgundyben said:
When I was a kid, we used to catch mullet in the Hamble, shine a torch into the river at night and it attracts them, we had a spear made from a oven shelf with the ends of the prongs bashed flat with barbs on.

It was a regular part of my diet on the weekends. Its not particularly tasty but a foodstuff that came free.
Click to expand...

sounds great

d
 
ChrisE said:
They are not called poo-sifters for nothing....
Click to expand...
Hmmm...that is very polite! Not what we call 'em round here!

Have to agree though I would want to be pretty certain about where it had been caught before I would introduce it to the frying pan! FWIW I can vouch that the best way of describing the taste of an East Coast caught Grey Mullet is 'muddy'!
 
Shoals of the things right outside my kitchen window (Port Solent) ... they seem to sunbathe on sunny days in the still water. They also nibble tracks in the slime on the bottom of the boat which looks very odd when you haul out. Wish I could train them to do it properly! Anyone ever eaten one? .. any good with chips?
 
Used to get a good number at Tollesbury marina whilst I was moored there. They seemed like you could virtually put your hands in the water and pick 'em up. Then someone told me about their life expectancy and where they like to spend their time and I went right off 'em. :)
 
A friend of ours caught a couple at Dale last summer. He cooked them slowly in an oven, with olive oil and herbs de provence. I have to say, it was delicious. Moist and sweet. Everyone tells me it is not good eating, but these were really lovely.

Edit. Sorry, er, Liverpool?
 
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