The Sea Mullet Run - Black Head Beach, Hallidays Point, Mid North Coast, NSW

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Around Anzac Day, April 25th, each year Sea Mullet (Mugil cephalus) begin to stream out of the coastal rivers, lakes and estuaries of the NSW east coast and head en mass to sea to spawn.
This movement out of the estuaries by millions of Sea Mullet has become known as the 'Mullet Run'
After spawning in the open sea the eggs are washed back into the estuaries where the cycle begins again. In the protected environment of the estuaries the eggs soon become fingerlings and grow and eventually into adults at which time they will also leave the rivers and lakes and head to sea to spawn.
It is thought that the first biting cold offshore westerly winds, which seasonally begin around 25th April, are the catalyst for the commencement of the migration to sea.
The predictability of the 'Mullet Run' is bad news for the mullet as commercial Fishers have their measure.
Spotters on top of headlands visually spot the moving masses of fish as they head north up the coast to warmer waters to spawn.
The spotter sends a message to the commercial fishers on the beach who are ready to spring into action with their 'Haul Netting' or Beach Seining' gear as soon as the massive schools of mullet arrive in the vicinity of the beach.
The fishers wait till the precise moment to pounce, at which time a boat is launched from the beach, on the northern side of the direction of travel of the fish. The boat quickly speeds out through the surf zone towing a Seine Net behind it with the plan to encircle the school of fish by turning to the south then when the fish are encircled, driving hard up onto the beach,
The large team of fishers work hard to pull the net around the school manually and when this is done they attach a rope to the tow end of the net and both ends of the net are tied to the tow ball of a powerful 4 x 4 or tractor and hauled up onto the beach.
Once the entire school has been captured and laying on the beach in the nets the fishermen begin the big job of sorting the fish, returning any fish not considered of the legal 30cm or 12'' size back to the sea. The fish are then packed in boxes and put on ice and taken to the local fish cooperative where they are prepared for market. Almost every part of each mullet from the roe to the scales is able to be used commercially after any necessary preparations.
Witnessing the ruthless precision of the 'Haul Netting' harvesting operation is disturbing for some people however the commercial Sea Mullet Fishery and the harvesting practices used have been declared sustainable by a number of studies over the years.

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/375937/Sea...

Taken in: Australia / New South Wales / Black Head (show map)

Taken on: May 15, 2017

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Sets appears in: • Panoramas & Landscapes - ALBUM No.1 • Barrington Coast - Album 1 more » • Album 1 of 4 - Mid North Coast - NSW, Australia • Australian Beaches • The Mullet Run - Black Head Beach « less

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