varied from 18.6 million lb in 1976 to 30.9 million lb in 1980. Monthly land- 

 ings are highest from October through December and lowest in February, March, 

 and April. The landed value in Southwest Florida in 1980 was $3.6 million, 

 which was over half the total value of mullet landed in Florida. 



Striped mullet spawn in offshore waters from October to January. Larvae 

 have been collected from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast as far 

 north as Cape Cod, MA in depths to 900 fathoms. When 20 to 30 mm long, the 

 larvae move into the estuaries and, except for spawning or seasonal movements 

 to offshore waters, they probably live the remainder of their lives there. 



Adults first spawn when 2 to 3 years old and females typically grow 

 larger and live longer than males. Adult mullet sometimes inhabit fresh 

 waters, and move long distances up rivers. Land-locked populations have been 

 reported in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. Maximum age is 6 to 7 years, and 

 maximum length is about 18 inches. Juvenile and adult striped mullet are pri- 

 mary consumers that feed largely on diatoms, algae, and benthic detritus. 

 They have a muscular gizzard that helps grind their food. 



Despite high production, striped mullet are probably under utilized. 

 When fresh, it is ranked by some consumers to be one of Florida's finest eat- 

 ing fish, but because it is a relatively oily fish subject to early rancidity, 

 it has an extremely short shelf life. Mullet are taken commercially primari- 

 ly in the fall and early winter when they tend to school prior to moving 

 offshore to overwinter and spawn. This strong seasonal availability is 

 troublesome because the markets are glutted and prices fall. Currently, 

 there also is a strong market in Japan for mullet roe. This relatively new 

 demand has helped the fishing industry in Southwest Florida. 



Pompano 



Pompano ( Trachinotus carolinus ) has long been considered the aristocrat 

 of Florida's fishes (Berry et al. 1967). Fishermen received as much as $2.70 

 per lb dockside in 1980. Catches in 1970-80 from Southwest Florida made up a 

 majority of statewide landings. Annual production ranged from 1.4 million lb 

 to 0.7 million lb and averaged about 942,000 lb. 



The commercial catch is limited and most production is sold to restau- 

 rants. A closely related species, the permit ( Trachinotus falcatus ), also 

 enters the catch and has potential for an expanded fishery. A brief descrip- 

 tion of the biology of the pompano is given in the following subsections. 



Spawning . The exact location of spawning of pompano is unknown, but the 

 appearance of larvae in offshore waters suggests offshore spawning. Ripe 

 females have not been collected in inshore waters. The spawning season is 

 apparently protracted, extending from April to October, and in some areas as 

 early as February. Most spawning is from April through June. 



Juveniles . Juveniles grow fast--about one inch per month. Preferred 

 habitat of juveniles is open beach areas of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic 

 coast where the bottom is predominantly sand and there is a diverse and abun- 

 dant invertebrate fauna. The pompano is taken in large quantities in the surf 

 zone where wave action uncovers food organisms. Pompano live in bays and 

 estuaries and have a wide range of salinity tolerance. 



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