Poddy Mullet

[Martin A1]

Has anyone investigated growing Mullet? (sorry don't know the technical name)

Will they grow in fresh water? They make great saltwater sport fish bait and I reckon' would feed your bigger Cod too.

Due to the high oil content some folks also really love eating or smoking them too. Sounds like a versatile fish species to me.

[Murray]

Martin, The hatchery at Boreen Point (near Nossa) Lady that runs it, Gwen, says that Mullet raise really well in fresh water tank culture. Will eat bread, pellets etc. Evidently they grow out very quickly as well.
She says that she has bred them before and is currently looking for a suitable breeding pair. She also claims that the flavour of the tank grown mullet is mild and very acceptable.
Personally I don't mind mullet. Some folk turn their noses up at mullet, but I rather like it.

You have got me thinking actually.
As I understand it, poddy mullet are just juvenile mullet , isn't that right ?

If several dozen poddy mullet could be caught....It would be a very interesting project to attempt to grow some out.

[Martin A1]

Hi Murray,
Yes poddy mullet are just small 'baby' mullet. The ones you can easily catch in a trap in the local beach lagoon. I have seen the pro fishermen net the adults "on mass" off the beaches up and down the NSW coast. It always upsets me as surely taking this volume of bio mass from the system has an effect. And where do they all go? Bait? Cat Food? Thai Fish Cakes?

Not wanting to brag but I reckon' it could be a great idea! Like I said a versatile fish species (especially if you are into live bait fishing like me).

A couple of questions though...
(1) Isn't it illegal to catch wild fish stocks for farming? I guess not because I can catch them for bait within state regulations? I think it is the opposite that is the problem ie releasing farm stocks into natural environments.
(2) How will they handle the transfer from salty (or brackish) water to straight fresh water. Is there anything that can be done to manage the transition?

I have thought about catching a few local black bream too but again thought it was illegal? I guess if they are under size then it is illegal? I need a guru to provide some advice about the transition process from salt to fresh water... gary? fishfood? someone? please share the love.

[Murray]

Hi Martin,
I found out today talking with a old salt that there are plenty of fresh water mullet in the upper reaches of the Brisbane River ....fresh water......so it should be reasonably easy to get a few dozen home to try the theory.
I don't know about the legal side of such an adventure, but I will call Fisheries in the next few days and find out.

[Jonty]

Hi Martin,

Years ago when I dived for marine fish, I would catch a few scats (spotted butterfish). They were greenish on the top and yellow below. The small ones had vertical bands separated by bright orange.

Personally, I didn't like them for my marine aquarium but I did transition a few across to freshwater.

When caught you need to take enough of the water they were in back home and put into a suitable tank and provide plenty of aeration. After a day or so when they have settled and started to eat, take about 4 litres out of the tank and top up with fresh water. CAVEAT. Make sure any town water is placed in buckets for a couple of days to allow the chlorine to escape. I used to do the water change every second day. I used a 3 foot tank.

I had two buckets set up. As one emptied it was filled and allowed it to stand.

You need to do the transition slowly and not rush it.

Good luck
Jonty

[Murray]

I had a lady here the other day to see the Aquaponics system. She has a property up at Rathdowney which backs onto the upper reaches of the Logan River.
She says the the river at the back f her place is heavily populated with Mullet. She regularly catches bigger ones , about 1 kg, says they are excellent eating.
I bid and won a couple of fish traps on eBay last week, so I can't wait to get up there to see if I can trap a dozen or two, bring them home and see how they grow in tanks.

[Martin A1]

Fishfood, I note your advice to use 3kg of salt per 1,000ltrs of water to treat fish for various ailments and prior to exposing to your existing stocks.
How does this compare to the salt concentration in regular sea water? The reason I ask is that maybe one could simulate sea water (a bit?) to integrate some mullet or bream fingerlings into their system?

[fishfood]

Fishfood, I note your advice to use 3kg of salt per 1,000ltrs of water to treat fish for various ailments and prior to exposing to your existing stocks.
How does this compare to the salt concentration in regular sea water? The reason I ask is that maybe one could simulate sea water (a bit?) to integrate some mullet or bream fingerlings into their system?

Hi martin the 3 kg per 1000 = 3ppt
seawater=35 ppt , 32 times stronger
this is correct [i have tested it with a refractometer]
most fresh water fish wont live in sea water

[Martin A1]

So could it work in reverse? ie if I put saltwater "mullet" fish into 15Kg-20Kg of salt per 1000ltrs as a one time adjustment strategy to get them to fresh water home growth in my 1,000ltr fresh water tank?

PS I am also assuming it is wild fish stocks in very low numbers that we are talking about in this case. Murray any word from fisheries on this? It does worry me a bit as feasible alternative to hatchery fish options?

I need some more hatchery fish even though its cold!

[Murray]

I have been reading as much as I can about Mullet. There are a whole heap of variants of the species. All the notes say that the mullet go out to sea to spawn but I really cannot see how that could happen in the Logan river. It has just been a chain of puddle holes for a few years up until January this year when it flooded.
There is no info I can find that talks about the mullet doing an up river migration like salmon but in reverse. Salmon spawn up river and go out to sea for their adult life in simple terms. If mullet supposedly go out to sea to spawn how would the very upper reaches of the Logan have baby mullet by the thousands????
There must be some missing knowledge here I would think.
It would appear to me that it is very possible that some variants of mullet breed in fresh water in the upper reaches of rivers and streams.
Can anyone explain please ?