Yellow-eye mullet

Yellow-eye mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri), are small, near-shore fish found in temperate waters of southern Australia from just north of Sydney, New South Wales to Shark Bay in Western Australia, around Tasmania, and New Zealand. Others names are Coorong mullet (after the Coorong area of South Australia), conmuri, estuary mullet, Forster's mullet, freshwater mullet, pilch, pilchard, Victor Harbor mullet, yelloweye and yellow-eyed mullet.

Habitat

They usually live in shallow bays, ports and estuaries. They are often seen shoaling near the surface, but rarely enter freshwater. For example, Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora, south of Christchurch, will be found at any time of the year, but their spawning takes place in the sea.

Distribution

South-west Pacific; also Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania; all over New Zealand and the Chatham Islands.

Behaviour

They are omnivores that feed on sea floor debris, algae and small invertebrates, crustaceans, diatoms, molluscs, insect larvae, fish, polychaetes, coelenterates and fish eggs. They are often filtered from the sand through the mouth. Ingesting a certain percentage of sand helps to grind food in the muscles of the stomach.