NETS TIP THE SCALES AGAINST MULLET
IT IS beach fishing on a scale only seen once a year.
The famed “mullet run” along the east coast of Australia takes the guesswork out of fishing, as 300m-long nets are used to secure large schools of fish swimming north.
At Stockton Beach, north of Newcastle, fisherman Greg Tarrant spent his days trying to spot the schools of fish.
“The run is a bit later than normal, we’ve been waiting for four weeks,” he said.
It is a military-like operation. After spotting the dark school of fish, they get in a rowboat and pull the net to encircle them.
Once caught, they use a 4WD to get their catch off the beach quickly to keep them in good condition.
They caught 43 tonne yesterday and said the number of fish had increased each year. Schools of the fish are expected to keep moving up the coast for the next four to six weeks.