Like a lot of Floridians weary of warm weather, the Gulf coast fishing industry is praying for a little cool.
The Herald-Tribune reports that this year, the mullet catch is about a third of the bounty of recent years. Many fishing crews that came to southwest Florida for the mullet season, roughly Thanksgiving to January, have gone home, tired of cruising the bays, waiting for fish to gather in nettable schools.
Whether because of the unseasonable warmth or the presence of some red tide, the mullet have not been in the mood to mingle, at least so far.
Mullet are largely vegetarian and can't easily be caught on hooks. Because of worries about overfishing and impact on other species, using long nets was outlawed.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
