﻿THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OP 
  INDIAN 
  RIVER, 
  FLORIDA. 
  231 
  

  

  MULLET 
  (Mugil 
  cephalns). 
  

  

  This 
  fisli, 
  wbicb 
  is 
  here 
  known 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  names 
  mullet 
  or 
  common 
  

   nuillet, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  and 
  generally 
  distributed 
  Ibod-tish 
  in 
  

   the 
  Indian 
  Eiver. 
  The 
  opinions 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  lishernieu 
  upon 
  the 
  

   habits, 
  abundance, 
  and 
  spawning 
  of 
  the 
  mullet 
  appear, 
  at 
  first 
  sight, 
  

   quite 
  diverse 
  and 
  contradictory 
  in 
  character. 
  Most 
  of 
  these 
  differences, 
  

   however, 
  are 
  susceptible 
  of 
  a 
  reasonable 
  explanation, 
  and 
  the 
  various 
  

   views, 
  when 
  fully 
  and 
  properly 
  understood, 
  are 
  not 
  inconsistent. 
  The 
  

   apparent 
  differences 
  are 
  mainly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  opinions 
  of 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  are 
  based 
  solely 
  upon 
  their 
  observations 
  in 
  one 
  

   limited 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  river; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  what 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  

   the 
  mullet 
  in 
  one 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  true 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   entire 
  river. 
  

  

  A 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  opinions 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  

   in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  observations, 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  state- 
  

   ments 
  regarding 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  mullet 
  in 
  

   Indian 
  Eiver. 
  

  

  Ever 
  since 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  began 
  in 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  the 
  mullet 
  has 
  

   been 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  food-fish 
  there. 
  In 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Fort 
  Pierce, 
  it 
  constitutes 
  (50 
  to 
  70 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  

   catch. 
  In 
  the 
  south 
  end 
  it 
  is 
  apparently 
  rather 
  less 
  abundant, 
  though 
  

   it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  fished 
  for 
  to 
  any 
  extent 
  south 
  

   of 
  Fort 
  Pierce. 
  There 
  has 
  probably 
  been 
  some 
  decrease 
  during 
  the 
  

   last 
  ten 
  years, 
  but 
  dealers 
  still 
  obtain 
  all 
  the 
  mullet 
  they 
  want 
  to 
  fill 
  

   their 
  orders, 
  and 
  some 
  dealers 
  limit 
  their 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   mullet 
  which 
  they 
  will 
  accept, 
  thus 
  showing 
  that, 
  in 
  a 
  night's 
  fishing, 
  

   more 
  mullet 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  disposed 
  of. 
  So 
  long 
  as 
  this 
  con- 
  

   dition 
  exists 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  mullet 
  fishery 
  will 
  regulate 
  itself. 
  

  

  The 
  mullet 
  is 
  doubtless 
  found 
  throughout 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  

   in 
  considerable 
  numbers. 
  The 
  periods 
  of 
  least 
  abundance 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   July 
  and 
  August, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  early 
  winter. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  

   fall, 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  December. 
  Its 
  movements 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  under- 
  

   stood. 
  That 
  it 
  runs 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  through 
  the 
  inlets 
  with 
  the 
  tides 
  seems 
  

   well 
  established, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  apparently 
  greatly 
  influenced 
  by 
  changes 
  

   in 
  the 
  weather, 
  the 
  shallowness 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  causing 
  it 
  to 
  respond 
  very 
  

   promptly 
  to 
  temperature 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  A 
  norther 
  blowing 
  for 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  day 
  will 
  cause 
  a 
  marked 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  

   water. 
  The 
  nuillet, 
  being 
  a 
  warm- 
  water 
  fish, 
  is 
  alTected 
  by 
  the 
  cold 
  ami 
  

   driven 
  out 
  to 
  warmer 
  water. 
  As 
  to 
  whether 
  they 
  run 
  with 
  or 
  against 
  

   the 
  winds 
  depends 
  upon 
  the 
  direction 
  they 
  must 
  go 
  to 
  get 
  outside 
  or 
  to 
  

   reach 
  warmer 
  Avater. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  siiecies 
  seems 
  to 
  extend 
  over 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  period, 
  probably 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  January. 
  Mullet 
  

   examined 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  January, 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  caught 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Pierce, 
  were 
  in 
  full 
  roe. 
  These 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  ones, 
  however, 
  which 
  were 
  

   in 
  roe. 
  Many 
  others 
  were 
  exaniiiied 
  at 
  Titusville, 
  Cocoa, 
  Eaii 
  Gallic, 
  

  

  