Age, growth, and mortality of the mullet Mugil liza in Brazil's southern and southeastern coastal regions

Concern has increased regarding the stock exploitation status of the mullet, Mugil liza, fishery resource, because industrial catches currently exceed artisanal catches. A growing trend in mullet catches involves the overexploitation of other resources and the commercialization of mullet roes. This study complements existing information about the mullet's life cycle by providing estimates on growth and mortality rates for the stock. The mullet, M. liza, has a relatively low growth rate, κ, at approximately 0.17 year−1, a 10.5 year longevity, and an asymptotic length of 662 mm. Based on age-length structure, mullet caught at sea, in both coastal areas and continental shelves, are significantly larger and older than mullet caught at the Patos Lagoon Estuary by artisanal fishermen. The total mortality rate, Z, was estimated to be approximately 0.77 year−1, and the exploitation rate was higher than 0.5 in 3 different scenarios tested with different natural mortality rates calculated in this work.