There’s an ongoing effort to change the reputation of mullet. The fish was mostly used as bait. But now, mullet and its roe are appearing on menus at fancy US restaurants and business owners are betting on a growing demand for the fish. Meet some southwest Floridians who are giving mullet a second chance.
Third generation Pine Island commercial fisherman and seafood producer Michael Shane Dooley said the main mullet run in southwest Florida is from Thanksgiving to the first of January.
“The fish bunch up to make their move to the Gulf of Mexico,” he said. “And that’s when you see your really big schools of fish. You can almost walk on them they get so thick at times.”