412 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Table 2. — Numbers of larvae of the silver mullet, M. curenia, at various sizes taken by dip netting on Gill cruises 1 through 9 



(none were caught on cruises 1, 5, and 9) 



sands of mullet were around the vessel. On 

 occasions paired fish were observed swimming side 

 by side, but in general there was just a dense mass 

 of fish milling and splashing at the surface. These 

 fish were very difficult to catch with a dip net, 

 but 12 specimens were captured (6 males and 6 

 females), which proved to be silver mullet, Mugil 

 curema. Standard lengths of the males were 

 151, 176, 186, 189, 203, and 228 mm.; and of the 

 females, 194, 195, 202, 210, 217, and 234 mm. 

 All of the females were running eggs, and all the 

 males were running milt; in fact the specimens 

 coidd not be handled without eggs or milt stream- 

 ing from them. This was a spawning school. 



Plankton tows were taken February 16 to 

 March 7, 1953, during cruise 1; and April 22 to 

 May 14, 1953, cruise 2; July 16 to August 12, 1953, 

 cruise 3; October 7 to November 12, 1953, cruise 

 4; January 21 to February 23, 1954, cruise 5; 

 also, April 15 to April 28, 1954, cruise 6, a partial 

 cruise. Collections were examined and yielded 

 silver mullet larvae as shown in table 1 (no larvae 

 were taken on cruises 1, 4, and 5); specimens 

 were largely early stage larvae under 5 mm. long. 

 Locations of capture are Olustrated in figure 1. 



All silver mullet material taken by dip netting 

 on GUI cruises 1 through 9 is shown in table 2, 

 and locations of capture are illustrated on figure 1 . 



These specimens ranged from about 6 to 25 mm. 

 in length. 



Table 3. — Occurrence of young silver mullet (M. curema) 

 in seine collections of two areas in Georgia 



[Arranged to show dates and approximate abundance; size ranges illustrated 

 in figure 22] 



From lower Florida to North Carolina, early- 

 stage larvae (2 to 5 mm.) were captured near the 

 20-fathom line and offshore to about the axis of 

 the Gulf Stream, with the location of capture 

 most frequently between the 20- and 100-fathom 



