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Marina caught mullett

4K views 29 replies 19 participants last post by  biggysmalls 
#1 ·
just thought I'd put a little warning on here about eating mullett caught fom marinas.

My dad mentioned to me last night that he has to regularly tell people fishing for mullett in the marina where he works not to eat them. Reason being that the antifouling used on boats these days is very soft and obviously pretty toxic to prevent weed/barnacles etc. growing on the boat. Where do mullett spend a lot of time sucking weed? ... along the bottom of boats (antifouling paint's obviously not that good!).

Mullett not from marina areas probably fine as long as there aren't too many boats nearby.

Don't want to sound too negative but just thought it was worth posting this.
 
#3 ·
Commercial guys over here get them by the hundred in single gill nets over here when they are splashing for Bass. Have seen them bring in some monsters into double figures as well. They get sold to the Chinese places apparently as hardly any places take them. I have tried it a couple of times. Not that it tastes bad at all, just doesnt really taste good either. Suits dishes with a lot of flavour
 
#6 ·
It may even become a fish we start to rely on more as an eating fish, as our other more popular eating fish stocks get decimated. Similar to the way that Pollack has grown in popularity over the last few years.
They won't last long then.

In the UK, they don't start to breed until around 10 years old (much slower growing than even bass), when they are around just 3lb (and then they only spawn every 2nd or 3rd year).

A 7lb mullet will be 15 or more years old, and large specimens 20 or more years old.

(It's because they are so old, even when of modest size, and have spent so many years sucking and very slowly digesting mud off the bottom and scum off the top, that there are concerns with the build up of heavy metals and toxins in their flesh, particularly fish that inhabit estuaries and feed on sewage)

As they seem to be local to an area (apart from breeding migrations perhaps), it doesn't take long before the good sporting specimens are soon missing, and fish of that size won't be seen again for a decade or two (assuming that they aren't being continuously taken at a smaller size).
 
G
#11 ·
But surely the weed can only grow on the bottom of the boat if there isnt any antifouling there in the first place?
Antifoul paint is only a partial cure to growth on the bottom of boats. As we are no longer allowed to use some of the real nasties in the paint it isn't 100% effective.
You will still get some scum and in some instances some weed growth and after a while the paints properties will get weaker still and you'll then get more growth...
 
#13 ·
"but mullet from marinas are not for eating to be honest, even if they don't see much contact with the bottom of a boat. They eat some nasty stuff!"

MMMMMMM..... perhaps we should all stick to eating chicken, which are fed on a diet of dried out cow ****... Dried out chicken **** etc etc..

Or perhaps stick to pork, which also within their diet have dried out manure and loads of other nasties which ensure they all reach decent size in as short a period as possible.

Fact is, I won't dispute that animals take up heavy metals etc which will ultimately find their way into the flesh... But in all honesty that goes for much of the fish taken from the oceans...

I regularly eat Mullet, and it always makes me chuckle when I see most of the people saying they taste awful havent actually ever tried it.
In fact (and I am not the only one) but reckon Mullet is far superior tasting than Bass and Bream...

But what do I know??
If anyone asks me about Cheese, i would advise against eating it... It tastes disgusting and if I should actually eat some (Havent done so for 25 years) but I actually vomit..
Is that an endorsement to not eat cheese? It is all down to personal taste...

Cheese, Bass, Bream... The Mullet wins every time.
 
#14 ·
"but mullet from marinas are not for eating to be honest, even if they don't see much contact with the bottom of a boat. They eat some nasty stuff!"

MMMMMMM..... perhaps we should all stick to eating chicken, which are fed on a diet of dried out cow ****... Dried out chicken **** etc etc..

Or perhaps stick to pork, which also within their diet have dried out manure and loads of other nasties which ensure they all reach decent size in as short a period as possible.

Fact is, I won't dispute that animals take up heavy metals etc which will ultimately find their way into the flesh... But in all honesty that goes for much of the fish taken from the oceans...

I regularly eat Mullet, and it always makes me chuckle when I see most of the people saying they taste awful havent actually ever tried it.
In fact (and I am not the only one) but reckon Mullet is far superior tasting than Bass and Bream...

But what do I know??
If anyone asks me about Cheese, i would advise against eating it... It tastes disgusting and if I should actually eat some (Havent done so for 25 years) but I actually vomit..
Is that an endorsement to not eat cheese? It is all down to personal taste...

Cheese, Bass, Bream... The Mullet wins every time.
hugh fearnley whatshisface said that mullet taste better than bass.
 
#16 ·
to be honest I've eaten mullett before and thought it tasted quite nice really - if you cook it properly. It was net caught and a long way from the nearest marina/fagbuts/sewer/Maccie D's etc. so probably explains it.

Still with the interesting stuff from Leon about slow growth etc. I don't think I'll be eating it in the near future ...
 
#17 ·
The only mullet I have ever eaten was speared on the little wreck just outside Eastbourne Mariner.

Tasted disgusting!!

Each to their own though.

Never thought about the antifoul and weed process.

Was sitting down on the boat in Brighton today and there were loads of the blighters all sucking the weed from the waterlines....good sized ones as well.
 
#18 ·
I regularly eat Mullet, and it always makes me chuckle when I see most of the people saying they taste awful havent actually ever tried it.
Spot on :thumbs: Can`t say I have eaten on myself but have caught them out of the marina and given them to friends who like them.
I also know a few guys in the marina who will catch a eat them regular and have been doing so for years.

Normally you get the statment that "they taste muddy", but not from what i`ve been told. Might just have a go myself at the next one I get.

Alan
 
#19 ·
Spot on :thumbs: Can`t say I have eaten on myself but have caught them out of the marina and given them to friends who like them.
I also know a few guys in the marina who will catch a eat them regular and have been doing so for years.

Normally you get the statment that "they taste muddy", but not from what i`ve been told. Might just have a go myself at the next one I get.

Alan
Mmm, pan fried with some chopped challots.

Can't wait - NOT.
 
#20 ·
I caught one in a sandeel trawl and as it was dead I filleted it and put it in the freezer. We had it last night, oven roast with lemon zest and olive oil, served with roast cherry tomatoes and a mash of cooked soya beans, garlic, lemon juice and basil. The flesh was firmer than I expected, and the skin not as crispy as bass, and no pin bones either which was a plus. It was a good flavour and definately not muddy, even though it was caught in an open harbour. The beans/tomatoes/lemon combination was superb.
 
#21 ·
Although I would not actively target this species in an enclosed busy harbour/marina situation. with all its attended human activity I believe it is very different if you ever are successful in catching one off of say a weed covered rocky outcrop that is regularly washed with the tides. I caught one thumper of a size one in just such a spot recently!
Those who say they don't taste very nice may have had one (or been put off by someone else) where the fish was not cleaned out soon enough.
It is essential to gut the Mullet and remove every bit the dark lining that coats the inner flesh. Do this as soon as it is landed, and in sea water. Bass often has a degree of this same dark layer but perhaps not so much.
We were very surprised how really delicious the flesh was (in no way tainted or 'muddy' as warned by several old boys watching) very similar in fact to Bass.
Oven cooked it simply in a large foil parcel made up some broad leaved parsley butter and stuffed this with lemon slices all in the cavity. It came out with the flesh just falling from the complete central bone.
Hope I am lucky enough to catch another from a similar tidal washed mark and I will certainly treat it with even more value.
 
#22 ·
had a couple off the beach when i was a kid,
gutted straight away, stuffed it with peppers
with a good dollop of parsley butter
baked in tin foil,
served with rice and a few slices of lemon!













bloody discusting, never again
 
#23 ·
Next time master Geffaz at least eat all your veg or you will notbe allowed down from the table. Have you tried Jamie Olivewasisnames fish dish from his last tv series with roooobarb? that may make all the difference.


Wot 'no rules at all' or 'too many rules' (where would be then?)
I like my fishing as it is now!
 
#26 ·
eaten mullet for years,the fish taken from the waters of the severn tasted the same as those i get from the docks wer i work and the bass.The fish is nice batterd,baked or grilled..and some of you will rant about this but it makes a excellent bait for ray/yting..i worked on a sand dredger wer dogfish city was a right pain,they would strip the hook clean in mins..they found mullet strip hard to pull off the hook and the ray would soon home in on the bait,even had a 16lb cod on a bit of mullet so dont right the fish off:bye1:

the use of mullet as bait came about when i forgot to take some bait on the ship,we would be out for 14hrs and i could fish 8 of them hrs every day!!what a job!!i had some mullet in the freezer so i used that and ended up with a shed load of ytings,conger,ray and spurdog from flatholm island in the bristol channel,this was even when we where pumping up thousands of sandeels so they had a choice!!. The next day i put mackerel against mullet and ended up with 5 smalleyes and a very big thornie(22lb)to the mullet and just yting on mackerel,it was later in the winter when i had 3 cod on mullet.I left the job and must admit i have not used it for a few years but reading this thread i think i will get the bread out at work and when i get my boat back i will try it again this winter and see what happens
 
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