The Movements and Migrations of Mullet (Mugil cephalus L.)

Abstract

The mullet school (Mugil cephalus L.) has a real entity. The same fish remain associated in a group for a considerable period. Some emigration from (and inferentially immigration to) the school takes place. Some schools remain in one locality (within a river system) for some months. Others appear to move more or less continually. A sojourn in fresh water does not appear to be essential though many fish are found there. It is impossible to generalize about age preferences for salinity. Fish of all age groups can be found at all times of year from fresh water to the lower saline estuaries.

Some seasonal difference in the direction of movement is evident in Moreton Bay, Qld.; but this movement lacks the persistence of the seaward spawning migration of adult fish in late summer and autumn. There is some evidence to support the hypothesis that the majority of mature fish do not migrate every spawning season, but at greater intervals.