Fish
Fish
White Mullet
Mugil curema
The White Mullet is a common, schooling fish of Trinidad's coastal and estuarine waters, often seen leaping clear of the surface in tight, silvery schools along beaches and river mouths.
The White Mullet is a common, schooling fish of Trinidad's coastal and estuarine waters, often seen leaping clear of the surface in tight, silvery schools along beaches and river mouths.
Identification
A moderately elongated fish around 20 to 40 cm long, silvery overall with a bluish-green back and faint dusky stripes along the flanks. Its blunt head and small, terminal mouth are adapted for grazing on algae and organic material from the substrate rather than active predation.
Behaviour
Forms large, tightly packed schools in coastal shallows, estuaries, and river mouths, grazing on algae, detritus, and small invertebrates from sand, mud, and rock surfaces. It is well known for its habit of leaping repeatedly out of the water, a behaviour whose exact purpose is debated but may help remove external parasites or aid respiration in low-oxygen water.
Status in T&T
Abundant in coastal and estuarine waters around Trinidad and Tobago, an important food fish for artisanal and subsistence fisheries. Not considered threatened.
