with the first settlers. By the 1800s, 

 mullet was one of the main cash crops 

 for the Outer Banks, says Judie 

 Spitsbergen, curator of education at 

 the N.C. Maritime Museum in 

 Beaufort. "Mullet was infinitely im- 

 portant as a source of food. And even- 

 tually with the market in other states, 

 it was an important commercial crop," 

 says Spitsbergen. 



Outer Banks fishermen were es- 

 pecially known for mullet fishing. Dur- 

 ing the fall runs, they set up temporary 

 camps made of small thatched huts 

 near the beach. Lookouts kept watch 

 on the waters for the dark mass that 

 indicated a large school. 



With one end of a seine on the 

 beach, part of the crew would row into 

 the surf, positioning the other end of 

 the net in front of the approaching 

 fish. As the mullet filled the net, the 

 boat slowly circled toward shore. After 

 making the catch, the Bankers would 

 clean, salt and pack the mullet in 

 barrels for shipment to inland markets. 



Over a hundred years later, the 

 method of fishing for mullet hasn't 

 changed. And even the technology has 

 improved only slightly. "We used to 

 row out with the net until outboards 

 came out, and then we got lazy," says 

 Frost. For muscle power to pull in the 

 thousands of pounds of mullet, his 

 crew uses two tractors. 



Traditionally, the mullet fishery was 

 confined to beach seine operations. 

 During the heyday of the shore 

 fishery, folks eagerly bought ocean- 

 front property. This prime real estate 

 provided plenty of shorefront for pull- 

 ing in the nets, says Spitsbergen. 



But the beach fishery has seen hard 

 times in recent years. Fishermen like 

 Frost at Salter Path are finding that 

 cottages and condominiums are 

 limiting their access to the oceanfront. 

 Now, most mullet fishermen gill net 

 for the fish in the sounds and inlets. 



Two species of mullet inhabit North 

 Carolina waters: the striped or jump- 

 ing mullet and the white mullet. The 

 two usually are marketed as the same 

 species, and their differences are nearly 

 indistinguishable even to fishermen. 



As far as Tate Faircloth is con- 

 cerned, there's only one kind of 

 mullet — the "pop-eye mullet." That's 

 what he calls jumping mullet because 

 of their "great big old eyes." 



Faircloth is a Wrightsville Beach 

 fisherman who has been catching mul- 

 let for over 30 years. He fishes the 



causeway where regular "mullet 

 stands" along the shore provide areas 

 cleared of debris. "You can't throw 

 one of those big nets just anywhere," 

 says Faircloth. 



Fishing for mullet is a lot of work 

 and even more waiting, says Faircloth. 

 "I've set out many a time and never 

 seen a mullet in the water. This time of 

 year, you might see them at any time, 

 but you're liable to sit there all day 

 long. Then you'll see them coming 

 down the water. They stay real close to 

 the hill (shore). Ten or 15 will be jump- 

 ing at a time. That lets you know you 

 got a good bunch of fish coming to you. 

 The water will be solid black and it 

 could be as many as 10,000 pounds." 



Last year Faircloth hit a big school. 

 With about 3,000 pounds in the net 

 and no one to hold up the cork line, the 

 jumping mullet lived up to their name. 

 Faircloth estimates about a thousand 

 pounds of fish leaped over the line. 



The ones that stay in the net are 

 reward enough for Faircloth. "I enjoy 

 my mullet fishing," he says. "And I've 

 caught a many a thousand pounds. I 

 really enjoy seeing them come down 

 the water and putting a net around 

 them." 



Chances are mullet fishermen like 

 Faircloth, Frost and Smith will con- 

 tinue to fish for mullet even though 

 there's no great demand for it at the 



Photo by Suzanne R. Hill 



fish market. Well, there's no great de- 

 mand unless you're talking to a native. 

 "There are hordes of people who can't 

 wait for fall because they love the taste 

 of mullet," says Spitsbergen. 



The fishermen scoff at those who say 

 mullet has a "fishy" flavor. How else 

 should it taste, they say. 



Natives eat their mullet fried or bar- 

 becued over charcoal. And they 

 eagerly await the full moon in October 

 when the largest roe mullet are said to 

 be found. They like their roe fried, 

 baked, salted or scrambled in with 

 their eggs. Smith says some folks like 

 mullet roe so much that they'll keep 

 salted roe in their pocket all day for an 

 occasional nibble. 



Spitsbergen says coastal residents 

 keep one secret about mullet well- 

 guarded. There's nothing they like bet- 

 ter than mullet pluck, she says. Pluck? 

 It's the gizzard and liver from the fish, 

 of course. "Some people say you have 

 to have a bite of fish and alternate 

 with a bite of pluck to know pure 

 heaven," she says. 



For more information on cooking 

 mullet and roe, contact Sea Grant's 

 seafood specialist Sam Thomas or Sea 

 Grant's seafood agent Joyce Taylor at 

 the NCSU Seafood Laboratory in 

 Morehead City at 919/726-7341. 



— Nancy Davis 



Netting a run of mullet near Atlantic Beach 



