White mullet (Mugil curema) is a saltwater, freshwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 0–300 m.
Scientific name: Mugil curema · Water: Saltwater, Freshwater, Brackish
Size: up to 91 cm
The white mullet is a mugilid whose adults inhabit sandy coasts and littoral pools, but which also occurs on the muddy bottoms of brackish lagoons and estuaries; it sometimes penetrates rivers and may also be found on coral reefs. Juveniles are common in coastal waters and are known to find their way to estuaries and coastal lagoons, growing moderately at 30 to 40 cm in four years. Adults form schools and feed on microscopic or filamentous algae and on the small juveniles of planktonic organisms. It is oviparous, with pelagic, non-adhesive eggs. It is recorded from the surface down to 300 m. Its range is the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia, though it is uncommon north of Cape Cod, to Argentina; the eastern Atlantic from the Senegal River outlet southwards to Namibia; and the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to Chile. Maximum length is about 91 cm total length, commonly about 30 cm, and it matures at about 20 cm. It is a commercial species, farmed commercially and a gamefish, and is occasionally used as bait, with a medium price category. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 48 of 100 and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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