Abstract
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This study showed that cultured striped mullet, Mugil cephalus L., released as juveniles can make
a significant contribution to landings in an island commercial fishery. Following pilot hatchery releases from 1990
to 1993, striped mullet fisheries in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, USA, were sampled to recover cultured fish from the
bay-wide catch. Direct sampling of 181 fishing trips resulted in recovery of 211 cultured striped mullet. By autumn
1994, cultured fish comprised 13.0% (plus or minus 2.8%) of the commercial mullet catch in Kaneohe Bay, and the
percentage was increasing logarithmically. This study corroborated predictions from previous studies of juveniles
about effects of release strategies on survival of cultured mullet. Following summer releases, recapture rates were
strongly affected by fish size-at-release, with a critical release size of 60 mm total length (the smallest size
released that was subsequently detected in the fishery). Over 30 000 juveniles stocked in 1990 (but not in a nursery
habitat preferred by striped mullet) apparently suffered complete mortality. |