Sea mullet’s age-old beach fishery still going strong

by DEEDI on 1 Jul 2010
Along the coast, from the Queensland/NSW state border and up to Fraser Island, sea mullet are currently travelling hundreds of kilometres on a breeding migration.

During autumn and winter each year, commercial fishers take to the beaches to secure their catches by net.

Fisheries Queensland resource manager Mark Lightowler said for generations, professional fishers have worked the ocean beaches of southern Queensland, harvesting passing schools of fish.

'The fishery is also a tourist attraction, with many visitors and locals stopping to watch as fishers set and haul their nets,' he said.

'It’s a highly selective operation and captures few other species.'

Mr Lightowler said that fishers watched for the fish and when sighted in commercial quantities they deploy their boat from the beach, shooting a net around the school.'

'The fishers then haul the net into the beach so that they can sort their catch while the fish are still in shallow water.

'They cannot catch the fish if they are over rocks, if the contour of the bottom is unsuitable, or if they are too far from the beach.

'It’s quite a skill to be able to locate schools of mullet – ocean beach net fisherman watch from a high vantage point like a headland, or while driving along the beach.

'A good spotter can not only see fish in the water, but can also identify the type of fish in the school and give a fairly accurate estimate of the quantity of fish in the school as well.'

Mr Lightowler said there was a good reason why sea mullet migrated along the coast at this particular time of year – to spawn.

'Scientific research shows that only about half the available adult mullet take part in the spawning run each year,' he said.

'The others remain in estuaries or river systems leaving sufficient numbers for future spawning migrations.

'Scientists have confirmed mullet can cover hundreds of kilometres during these migrations.

'For instance, one tagged fish swam 750km from New South Wales to Queensland in about 40 days.

'As prolific breeders, females produce somewhere between 1.6 million and 4.8 million eggs at each spawning; can live for at least nine years; and can weigh more than 8kg.'

There are various community views about mullet as a table fish particularly in the fish ’n’ chip trade but what is undisputable is that they are a good health food and that , they contribute $2-3 million annually to Queensland’s primary industries sector.

'Sea mullet are important to the Queensland seafood industry with the average annual catch – about 2000 tonnes – making up about half the total weight of fish landed by professional fishers in Queensland a year,' he said.

'According to professional fishers’ catch records, mullet have remained relatively stable for many years.

'Of course there are seasonal fluctuations in catch due to factors such as rainfall and rough weather.

'Some factors that can impact mullet populations include loss of habitat, such as mangroves and seagrass, pollution, and the damming of rivers and creeks.'

Mr Lightowler said consumers could do their bit to keep this sustainable industry profitable for fishers and for Queensland.

'Like other primary industries in Australia, ocean beach fishers face strong competition from imports that compete with locally-produced product on our domestic market,' he said.

'Next time you are buying fish, make sure it is produced by Queensland professional fishers and support our state’s primary producers and the industries that in turn depend on them.'

Fisheries Queensland is a service of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.

For more information on Queensland’s fisheries, visit www.deedi.qld.gov.au or call 13 25 23