The range of mullets extends from California to South America; the family is found in all temperate and tropical seas. They live over shallow sandy bottoms, sometimes just outside the surf line, down to depths of 120 meters (400 feet).

Natural History

Mullets' diet consists of algae, detritus, fish eggs, and plankton. They usually travel in schools that may contain several hundred fish, and are often found near the surface where they can be taken with cast nets. Fisherman uses them as bait to catch other bigger fish, but mullets are also commercially important as food. In Southeast Asia they are frequently cultivated in ponds.

With the silvery coloration with dark backs they exhibit protective counter shading. They are dark when seen from above, blending with the bottom below them, and are silvery when seen from below, almost disappearing against the bright light from above.