decreased freshwater inflow to estuaries, and other water and land alterations 

 are the real cause. The monthly commercial landings for the west coast of 

 Florida in 1965, 1970, and 1975 are given in Table FSH-27 in the Data Appen- 

 dix. 



Striped Mul let 



The black or striped mullet ( Mugil cephalus ) is commercially the most im- 

 portant of five species of Mugil in Florida. With the exception of 1974, 

 striped mullet dominated the commercial landings in Northwest Florida in 1970- 

 80, but because of their relatively low dockside price, their dollar value was 

 less than that of the groupers and snappers. In 1980, commercial landings in 

 Northwest Florida were valued at $998,178, whereas State landings were 30.9 

 million lb valued at $6.1 million. 



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

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

 north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts and near the surface in water up to 900 fath- 

 oms deep. When 20 to 30 mm long, the larvae move into the estuaries and, 

 except for spawning or seasonal movement to offshore waters, they live the re- 

 mainder of their lives there. 



Adults first spawn when they are 2 to 3 years old; females typically grow 

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

 waters and move long distances up rivers. Landlocked populations have been 

 reported in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. Maximum age is six to seven years 

 and maximum length is about 30 inches. Juvenile and adult striped mullet are 

 primary consumers, feeding largely on diatoms, algae, and benthic detritus. 

 They have a muscular gizzard that helps grind their food. 



Despite high production, striped mullet is considered an underutilized 

 species. When fresh, it is ranked by some consumers to be one of Florida's 

 finest eating fish, but because it is a relatively oily fish subject to ran- 

 cidity, it has an extremely short shelf life. Mullet are taken commercially 

 primarily in the fall and early winter when they tend to school prior to mov- 

 ing offshore to overwinter and spawn. This strong seasonal availability is 

 troublesome because the markets usually become glutted and prices fall. Cur- 

 rently there is a strong market in Japan for mullet roe for caviar. This 

 relatively new product has helped the mullet fishing industry in Northwest 

 Florida. 



Lady Fish 



Lady fish ( Flops saurus ) is an important bait species in Northwest Flor- 

 ida because of its size schooling habits, and its availability to the purse 

 seine fishery. Lady fish are used largely for crab bait. In 1980, the dock- 

 side value was about 5 cents a pound. The 1.3 million lb taken that year were 

 worth $71,386 dockside. About 95% of the State landings were from Northwest 

 Florida. 



The monthly commercial landings for lady fish for the west coast of Flor- 

 ida in 1965, 1970, and 1975 are given in Table FSH-35 in the Data Appendix. 

 Although this species is not usually sought by sport fishermen because of 

 their poor food quality and small size, some are taken when more desirable 



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