36 tJ. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



of striped and silver mullets (M. curema) landed in Key "West dur- 

 ing 1918 was 112,313 pounds, valued at $4,531. 



The mullet is by far the most valuable fish caught in the State of 

 Florida. During' 1918 the catch on the west coast amounted to 

 25,023,666 pounds, worth $1,151,103, and on the east coast to 10,417,- 

 889 pounds, worth $397,147. In addition 86,285 pounds of salted 

 roe, worth $17,593, were prepared, making the total weight of the 

 fish 35,527,840 pounds, with a value of $1,565,843. 



Mullets are found in large numbers along the entire coast line of 

 Florida. They are particularly abundant in or about bays, rivers, 

 or creeks, and the greater part of the catch is taken in brackish water 

 within almost a stone's throw of land. Large numbers are found in 

 the vicinity of Cape Sable, doubtless because the schools pass there 

 going from one coast to the other, but among the Florida keys they 

 decrease in numbers southward or as Key West is approached. 



Nearly the entire catch of mullet is taken with gill nets of 1^-inch 

 bar mesh. To make a catch in open water, two dories are used. 

 The best type of dory has a platform in the stern, which is raised 

 several inches from the bottom of the boat, and on this the net is 

 stowed, payed out, and hauled in. It is essential that the woodwork 

 of the boat, edges of the gunwale, and such places where the net is 

 liable to touch be smooth, so that the net may not catch or impede 

 operations. In each of the dories is placed a net 150 yards or more 

 in length, properly corked and leaded, and with a staff at each end. 

 When a school of fish is located, the boats come together and the 

 fishermen connect their nets and from this point quickly surround 

 the mullets, describing a semicircle and bringing the staffs of the 

 nets together at another point. After sufficient time has been given 

 for the fish to gill themselves each net is hauled aboard its respective 

 dory and the fish are removed as they come aboard. 



When mullets are caught in close quarters, such as in rivers or 

 creeks, the operations of the fishermen are more simple and large 

 catches are often made under such conditions. 



A river bank often proves an effective aid in netting, as the fishes' 

 chances of escape are considerably lessened by such a barrier. As a 

 school of mullets advances along the shore the net staff is planted 

 near the water's edge, and at the proper time the net is set around 

 the fish and returned to the shore some distance up or down stream. 

 Sometimes it is unnecessary to use all of the net, in which case the 

 unused portion is distributed either within the inclosure or around 

 the outside in order to effect additional obstruction for the fish. 

 Often from 5 to 10 per cent of the fish escape by jumping over the 

 outer edge of the net, and many others gain their freedom by swim- 

 ming under the lead line at some point where it does not lie close on 

 the bottom. It would be far more difficult to make large catches of 

 mullets if they did not jump from the water or cause a disturbance 

 at the surface, thereby betraying their presence. Catches made 

 otherwise are the result only of chance. However, under ordinary 

 conditions schools of mullet follow close along the shore and give 

 evidence of their presence to the fishermen. A school swimming 

 along at a speed of 2 or 3 miles an hour can be sighted in sufficient 

 time for all preparations to be made for their capture. As a rule 

 the fishermen lie in wait at selected points and sometimes remain for 

 hours on the lookout for the fish. The mullet is a very elusive fish, 



