Mullet Survey

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    Posted: 26 May 2015 at 9:49am
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Here's something interesting from NIWA...  a long overdue close look at our Grey Mullet stocks Clap
 
 
Survey form is a PDF link at the bottom of the page.
 
Had to laugh at the picture of the guy from Patea catching river mullet with a net completely blocking off a river.
 
Interesting talk too about big landlocked mullet.
 
I intend to send them something soon. I'll leave out the bit about them being completely maddening as a fly fishing species Angry
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote pjc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2015 at 11:48am
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Yes we tried a green fly thing last night as pond was full if 30cm mullet.intention to feed sea lion across road papakura.back to the drawing board
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Millsy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2015 at 12:32pm
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Every year post summer fishing see's nets and netters all along the Waikato River blocking off the many channels that run around islands there in order to catch mullet for bait. The river mullet are crap for eating, there is even a separate section for them at the auctions. There is even a black market bait trade in the Franklin area despite the laws around on selling fish. Lets not get into the sale of the marlin caught during the last ITM West Coaster (legal? I think not). With the token enforcement afforded by MPI nothing is likely to deter anyone soon.

The limit of 30 per person per day for mullet is indicative of NZlanders apathy and ignorance towards marine biodiversity. You can find entire families, usually pacific islanders near the river mouth netting hundreds of mullet completely lawfully as long as everyone touches the net at some point during the day. If they do happen to overstep the line in the sand and receive a monetary fine from some ill equipped MPI officer, 9 times out of 10 their church will pay the fine. It is a business.

Inside the west coast harbors the mullet get no quarter either. You will find nets in nearly every bay along the Auckland side of the harbor on most days. The mullet are chased all over the banks with nets up to 800m long to supply [mainly] bait fisherman with bait. Plenty of which populate this very forum but will whinge about commercial fisherman at every turn when fishing gets hard. Maybe becoming part of the solution would be a step in the right direction rather than staying in the 20th century where the problem started.

Good info Craig, thanks for posting.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote makka Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2015 at 12:51pm
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I have noticed quite a few mullets in Upper Hutt
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2015 at 2:36pm
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Yeah Millsy, the funny thing is that we can't even guess at what numbers of mullet here in pre-human NZ. Pre-European maori were pretty good at beach hauling mullet in their huge flax nets but when white fella turned up there was still truck loads of mullet around - enough to set up canneries at several sites along the coast. The fact that all of those canneries soon closed down showed how vulnerable mullet are to over-fishing.
 
Right now I reckon we get by on a fraction of the virgin mullet biomass. And the fish that remain sure get a beating.
 
It would be nice to think that this survey is the start of Fisheries thinking a bit more about the grey mullet stock size and how it could be improved. Not holding my breath though.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote pjc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2015 at 2:51pm
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800m net?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Millsy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2015 at 3:15pm
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Originally posted by pjc pjc wrote:

800m net?


Yes. Sadly legal by commercial standards.

I like the survey question along the lines of "are there places you normally see mullet where there are now none". Well yes, every commercial mullet fisherman on the Manukau and other harbors were struggling to find them for around 3 weeks at the end of summer, none at the auctions either. Surely that speaks volumes.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Steps Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 8:53am
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I mentioned quite a while back about the size of mullet in the fish shops from 2 to 3 yrs ago...I used to be able to pick up 1 mullet, scale fillet and strip cut for bait and would do more than 1 day out fishing....
Someone answered it was because of the larger ones being taken for smoking....
OK maybe so, but how is it there are now no good sized left over in the wet fish trays now?

This smaller size is noticeable in my bait burely freezer... before I would have maybe 1 or 2 burely bombs left as the freezer filled right up before having to get out the mutcher to make more burley out of the frames.....
Now I still have a full layer of bombs and no more room in the freezer because the proportion of frames to bait meat on smaller fish is considerably higher... AND that is with doubling our burely usage.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 1:31pm
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H'mm Steps... for the sake of the whole North Island marine ecosystem it might be a good time for you to give up on using mullet as berley. Maybe try koi carp Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote cirrus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 1:40pm
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Come to think of it i didnt see mullet jumping in the Manukau this summer in anywhere near the usual numbers of past summers.
Also a long time since i have seen a 8lb Grey mullet. Biggest i had seen but a while back.
This was caught welly west coast-Porirua harbour,close to the Southern limit for grey mullet.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kevin.S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 2:25pm
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I think you have already hinted at the solution Craig.  Remove any limit on the number of mullet you can take, but they must be taken on fly -no other fishing method.  That should do wonders for the mullet population.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Steps Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 4:40pm
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Originally posted by Craig Worthington Craig Worthington wrote:

H'mm Steps... for the sake of the whole North Island marine ecosystem it might be a good time for you to give up on using mullet as berley. Maybe try koi carp Smile


Yep we do also use carp...as have mentioned in other posts over the last couple yrs.... and mullet as berley? no mullet frames.. the parts that usually get thrown away, go into the burely.....other than fish skins and scales, everything we use, or catch is used one way or another
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote :Hunter: Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 4:47pm
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Na bugger that I enjoy setting my mullet net for both bait and the smoker. Saw a commercial guy on the kaipara one day while duckshooting lay his said 800m net. Ran it out at speed parallel to the reed bank then returned to the start and roared along between the reeds and his net scaring any fish into the net. He then proceeded to pull in the net full of mullet. If you want to ban anyone they are the ones that need banning.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote pjc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 5:23pm
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still get good size mullet in pak nsav on special$4.20kg i go for small ones,the bigger ones i see are usually smoked.No i do not do netting to  much hassle.but schools of mullet along with sprats,yellowed mullet etc are diminishing as people are eating them as food no longer bait,i see this at work with the pacific community.
CRAig,would it be correct to assume local estuaries etc are not holding mullet etc due to run off pesticides and areas of mangroves being cleared?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 5:52pm
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Guys, I think that what a lot of the posters here are missing is that this is a SWF forum. While anyone can post anywhere I would rather see the fly flingers  discuss this. Yes I know they are odd types that wear teed jackets and deerstalker hats but let them have their own forum.

When it comes to fisheries management one thing that bait fishermen conveniently overlook is the number of pilchards, mullet, skipjack etc that die to catch one snapper. This is part of the focus of this thread so please respect that.

Craig, I've got to head out and catch my 20 kahawai cos I need bait for the weekend Evil Smile so please hide this thread if you see the need. I'm not trying to step on your toes, just trying to keep 'my lot' in line.
Best gurnard fisherman in my street
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2015 at 6:10pm
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That's all good Smudge. I'm probably guilty of leading this thread off on a tangent. 

Comments and observations as to the current stock status of mullet are welcome from anyone on the forum. However, I think it'll be good if we all leave the bait/grind them up for berley issues totally alone. As you pointed out Mike - we're all a bunch of fluff waving weirdoes in this corner and some of us have strong opinions on that sort of thing Embarrassed

Also - it is the NIWA survey that needs the personal observations regarding mullet. If you have good knowledge of the species then please fill in the survey. I'll post the link here again -

http://www.niwa.co.nz/news/niwa-calls-on-citizen-scientists-for-grey-mullet-survey
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote nymphOmaniac Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 May 2015 at 6:47am
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when we have problems with fish numbers you need to go back to the food source and the amount of fish now sold as bait must be having an effect on numbers of all fish. i find it rather bizare to use perfectly good fish to catch other fish. watching some of the fishing shows on tv i sometimes wonder how much fish is used to catch their fish.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 May 2015 at 11:45am
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Yes, I think the 'low environmental impact' aspect of fly fishing is one of the great attractions in the sport. Even when I do berley I rarely use more than a handful of pilchards.  The 'floating abattoir' approach that you see all around the place doesn't appeal at all. Pure fly is the greatest pleasure and every fish caught is edged in gold and totally special. I'm hooked Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Millsy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 May 2015 at 2:28pm
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Originally posted by nymphOmaniac nymphOmaniac wrote:

when we have problems with fish numbers you need to go back to the food source and the amount of fish now sold as bait must be having an effect on numbers of all fish. i find it rather bizare to use perfectly good fish to catch other fish. watching some of the fishing shows on tv i sometimes wonder how much fish is used to catch their fish.


+1.
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