Striped Mullet FMP - NC Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources

Landings (lb)45,00040,00035,00030,00025,00020,00015,00010,0005,0000Landings (lb) # Trips1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Year500450400350300250200150100500# TripsFigure 6.26. Yearly striped mullet landings (lb) and number of trips with landings from cast nets:1994-2002. Note: a single harvest is sometimes sold to multiple dealers, whichincreases the total number of cast net trips relative to other gear types.Cast netted striped mullet landings and the number of trips with cast netted stripedmullet harvest are sharply seasonal. Eighty-three percent of the annual cast net harvest occursin September and October (Figure 6.27). Cast net landings coincide with the large, September,ocean, migration of white mullet. Monthly cast net landings decline to 9% of the yearly total inNovember. Recent DMF research indicated that >95% of September and October cast nettedbait harvest was white mullet. Conversely, nearly all bait mullet landed in November wereidentified as striped mullet.Landings (lb12,00010,0008,0006,0004,0002,0000Landings (lb) No. TripsJan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecMonth140120100806040200No. TripsFigure 6.27. Average monthly striped mullet landings (lb) and number of trips from cast nets:1994 - 2002.The fall cast net fishery primarily targets mullets that will be used as bait, either as cut,whole (frozen), or live bait, much unlike other mullet fisheries that almost exclusively target roefish during this period. Only 2% of the total cast net landings were graded as red roe between1994 and 2002. Ninety-three percent were graded as mixed, 2% small, 2% x-small, and 1%white roe.Ninety-two percent of cast net mullet landings are harvested in Dare County (85%) andCarteret County (7%). Most of the total landings are captured in state jurisdiction ocean waters46