Australia country information

Common names: Conmuri, Coorong mullet, Estuary mullet
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: abundant (always seen in some numbers) | Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
Importance: commercial | Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
Aquaculture: never/rarely | Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
Regulations: restricted | Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: Inhabit bays, estuaries and open coastlines, from the Hunter River and Newcastle in New South Wales, along the temperate-water coasts of southern Australia, including Tasmania, to Shark Bay in Western Australia. They are possibly the most abundant and widespread fish in waters over sandy substrates near the Tasmanian coastline (Ref. 26498). The fish occasionaly stray to northern New South Wales (Ref. 9003). Stock structure: There are 2 distinct populations of yellow-eye mullet: an eastern population which spawns in late summer and autumn, and a western population which spawns in winter. However, this difference may in part be due to the marked tendency for sandbars to form at the entrances to Western Australian estuaries during summer, effectively preventing the movement of ripe fish into coastal waters for spawning (Ref. 28707). The only morphological difference between eastern and western yellow-eye mullet is the number of scales, fish from Western Australia and South Australia having 54-59 scale rows, those from eastern Australia having 59-64 (Ref. 28709). The genetics of the 2 populations has not been studied. Commercial fishery: The main fishing areas for yellow-eye mullet are estuarine and inshore waters of Victoria (Mallacoota to Warrnambool), the north and northwest coasts of Tasmania, South Australia (Lake George, the Coorong and the 2 gulfs) and most of the river systems and protected marine embayments of southwestern Australia (Ref. 28707, 28709). The yellow-eye mullet fishery is locally important, for example around Burnie and Devonport in northern Tasmania, and the Gippsland Lakes and Port Phillip Bay in Victoria (Ref. 26431). The fishery for yellow-eye mullet continues throughout the year but with seasonal fluctuations in catch levels. Lower catches are reported over winter in Port Phillip Bay (Ref. 26431) and the South Australian gulfs, over late summer to autumn in the Coorong (Ref. 28470), and over spring in the Swan-Avon estuary (Ref. 28707). Yellow-eye mullet are caught using haul seines, coastal set gillnets and ring nets (New South Wales only). Commercial catches from the Gippsland Lakes have decreased from about 220 t a year in the early 1960s, apparently in response to changes in fishing patterns and local market demand. In contrast, the Port Phillip Bay catch increased from 11-22 t a year prior to 1960 to an average of 56 t between 1973-74 and 1983-84 (Ref. 26431). In northern Tasmania, the catch per unit effort of yellow-eye mullet is as high as 100 kg per 50 m net haul. Most of it is caught inside the Tamar River and Mersey River estuaries and along the adjacent north coast. A fair proportion of the Tasmanian catch is not reported, being either sold direct to fish shops, or fished by shop proprietors themselves. From 1964-65 to 1989-90, the stated Tasmanian catch of yellow-eye mullet fluctuated between 3 t and 70 t a year. In Western Australia yellow-eye mullet traditionally have been sold as rock lobster (Palinuridae) bait. Now however, other bait sources are generally used. This tendency has led to a decrease in demand for yellow-eye mullet. The average catch per unit effort in the Peel-Harvey estuary in Western Australia between 1970 and 1979 (Ref. 26558) was nearly 7 times higher than that in the Swan-Avon estuary. Yellow-eye mullet catches in the Peel-Harvey estuary were about 300-400 t in recent years to 1993. Larger yellow-eye mullet are usually sold as fresh chilled fillets, occasionally as whole fish. Most of the catch is consumed locally, but the excess from the Coorong fishery (which historically provided approximately 75% of the South Australian yellow-eye mullet catch) (Ref. 28708) is often sent to Victorian markets. Yellow-eye mullet are sold often in the 'fish-and-chips' trade in South Australia. In New Zealand, yellow-eye mullet are smoked as 'kippers' or soused as 'rollmops' (Ref. 26998). Recreational fishery: Catching yellow-eye mullet is a popular, year-round fishing pastime in all States where it occurs, especially in Tasmania. The recreational catch is probably well in excess of the commercial catch. Yellow-eye mullet is one of the 3 most popular species for jetty and shore anglers in South Australia and comprises 44% of the recreational catch in Port Lincoln waters (Ref. 28716). Recreational fishers use gillnets, handlines and 'mullet' nets (gillnets with 6-7 cm mesh size). The fish respond well to small, baited hooks and to berleying. Adult yellow-eye mullet are targeted in inshore South Australian waters between February and April, and during winter and early spring in the Gippsland Lakes, the northern part of Port Phillip Bay and in embayed and estuarine beaches in Western Australia when they are spawning near the beaches. Resource status: The commercial fishery fluctuates in response to prices and market demand, notably in Western Australia and Victoria (Ref. 26431). In Victoria, catches have remained generally stable (at least to 1993). Northern Tasmania and Port Phillip Bay stocks are not fully utilised. In some Western Australian and South Australian estuaries there is evidence of increased catch rates due to increases in the growth and extent of macroalgae (Ref. 28706, 26558). Also Ref. 44894.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.csiro.au/
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Yellow-eyed mullet, Yelloweye mullet, Kuldsilmkefaal, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Mugiliformes (Mullets) > Mugilidae (Mullets)
Etymology: forsteri: Named for F.C. Aldrich, former Chief Inspector of Fisheries and Game, Western Australia and J.R. Forster, naturalist on Cook's second voyage to New Zealand (Ref. 9003).
More on author: Valenciennes.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromous (Ref. 46888); depth range 0 - 50 m (Ref. 9003), usually 0 - 10 m (Ref. 9812). Temperate; ? - 28°C (Ref. 28706); 25°S - 47°S, 112°E - 173°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Southwest Pacific: throughout New Zealand and the Chatham Islands; also from eastern, western Australia, southern Australia and Tasmania.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 50.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44894); common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9258); max. published weight: 950.00 g (Ref. 26498); max. reported age: 7 years (Ref. 9003)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 12. More pointed head and mouth than Mugil cephalus, and their eyes lack adipose (fatty) eyelids. Body scales are small (54-64 between gill opening and tail base) and thin, and are easily dislodged. 2 widely separated dorsal fins, the first with 4 spines and the second with 1 spine and 9 rays. These fish are olive or bluish brown above and silvery on the sides, and their eyes are bright yellow or golden. The fins have brown margins.

Found over sandy and muddy bottoms of coastal waters, bays, estuaries, and may ascend rivers into freshwaters (Ref. 9812, 44894). Adults inhabit brackish coastal lakes (Ref. 44894). Found in schools (Ref. 9812). Shoal-forming (Ref. 44894). They are omnivores, feeding mostly on benthic detritus, algae and small invertebrates. Oviparous, eggs are pelagic and non-adhesive (Ref. 205). Spawn in coastal waters in summer and autumn, probably in estuaries (Ref. 9812, 27012, 28470, 28707, 28708). Marketed fresh (whole gutted or fillets), smoked, salted or as roe (Ref. 3383).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Yellow eye mullet form large aggregations prior to spawning (Ref. 6390).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Harrison, Ian | Collaborators

Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993. Australian fisheries resources. Bureau of Resource Sciences, Canberra, Australia. 422 p. (Ref. 6390)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 10 July 2014

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless (Ref. 6390)

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 13.5 - 20.2, mean 17.1 (based on 354 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01175 (0.00558 - 0.02474), b=2.96 (2.79 - 3.13), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.5 ±0.26 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-3; tmax=7; Fec=125,000).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (29 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Aldrichetta forsteri (Valenciennes, 1836)