Squaretail mullet (Ellochelon vaigiensis) is a saltwater, freshwater, brackish species recorded in Singapore. It is mainly found over sand, estuary, mangrove.
Scientific name: Ellochelon vaigiensis · Water: Saltwater, Freshwater, Brackish
Size: up to 63 cm
The squaretail mullet is a mugilid whose tail is almost truncate rather than deeply forked, the quickest way to tell it from other mullets. It is a euryhaline coastal species that shoals at the surface in estuaries, mangroves and tidal reaches, grating algae and detritus off soft mud. In Singapore those silver shoals are a regular sight at the estuary mouths around Sungei Buloh, Kranji, Punggol, Sungei Api Api and the Marina area. The technique is the mullet standard: bread flake, dough or an algae bait on a small hook under a float, eased ahead of the shoal with slow movements, because these fish are extremely spooky and the whole school scatters at the first disturbance.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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