The golden grey mullet (''Chelon aurata'') is a fish in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Mugilidae The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since R ...

Description

It has hydrodynamic, very elegant elongated, more or less cylindrical body, with strong tail-fin. It has dark gray back that transit into silver white toward the belly with several grey horizontal stripes. Golden spot is present in gill covers. Its maximum length is around and weight around , but commonly it is much smaller fish with average specimen having in length. Reproduction takes place in the sea, from July to November.

Habitat

It is present in Eastern Atlantic from Scotland to Cape Verde, in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and in coastal waters from southern Norway and Sweden (but not Baltic) to Morocco. It is rare off coasts of Mauritania. It has been introduced into the Caspian Sea. Golden grey mullet is a

neritic The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated ...

species, usually inshore, entering lagoons, ports and estuaries, but rarely moves into freshwater. It feeds on small benthic organisms, detritus and occasionally insects and plankton. It ranges from shallows to depths of about , but it is most common between . It prefers sandy bottoms covered with various vegetation and smaller rocks where it can find its food and protection from predators like larger

eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

European sea bass The European bass (''Dicentrarchus labrax'') is a primarily ocean-going fish native to the waters off Europe's western and southern and Africa's northern coasts, though it can also be found in shallow coastal waters and river mouths during the su ...

Common dentex The common dentex (''Dentex dentex'') is a species of fish in the family Sparidae. Etymology Genus and species Latin name ''Dentex'' is related to ''dentēs'' which means "teeth". Description Adult dentex can reach a length of , and weight ...

and similar predatory species.

Fishing

In many countries there is a minimum allowed fish length for golden grey mullet of . In some estuaries it is main target of both commercial fishery and recreational fishermen. Commercially it is caught using special nets for mullets that allows catching specimen that jump over first net line. The average annual catch of golden gray mullet in Croatian waters is . In sport and recreational fishing, it is often caught on rod and reel, using rigs with floats and hooks baited with paste made out of flour, cheese and fish guts, but sometimes will accept bread, cheese and similar baits.

Cuisine

Meat is white, soft and very tender. Taste depends on fishing location. Golden grey mullet can be pan fried, especially smaller fish. Barbequed with some olive oil, lemon juice and parsley is often considered a delicacy. Also, it can be used as part of mixed fish stew.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1275956 Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fish of the Black Sea Fish of Europe Fish of West Africa

Golden grey mullet The golden grey mullet (''Chelon aurata'') is a fish in the family Mugilidae. Description It has hydrodynamic, very elegant elongated, more or less cylindrical body, with strong tail-fin. It has dark gray back that transit into silver white towa ...

Fish described in 1810 Taxa named by Antoine Risso