MSC-RBF Status

89: Pass- Low Risk

The yellow-eye mullet fishery scored > 80 in the MSC-RBF analysis, passing assessment with low risk of stock damage. The Productivity Susceptibility Analysis indicated this species is highly productive, with a short generation time, small size, and high fecundity. As a schooling species, yellow-eye mullet are moderately susceptible to capture and damage by the beach seine fishery. However, the ban on netting in estuaries, the habitat in which yellow-eye mullet are most abundant, reduces the risk of encountering fishing gear. The Consequence Analysis showed a small risk to the population size of yellow-eye mullet as a result of fishery activity. Substantial declines in CPUE since the peak in 1999-2000 coincided with consistent beach seine effort until 2005-06. Since then, effort has declined, along with catch. The ban on netting in estuaries offers high protection for recruitment dynamics of yellow-eye mullet, given the high abundance in estuaries and the use of these habitats for spawning. Therefore, current fishery activities pose a low risk to the stock structure and recruitment dynamics of yellow-eye mullet.

Productivity Attributes

Attribute	Score
Average age at maturity	1
Average maximum age	1
Fecundity	1
Average maximum size	1
Average size at maturity	1
Reproductive strategy	1
Trophic level	2

Susceptibility Attributes

Attribute	Score
Availability	2
Encounterability	1
Selectivity	2
Post-capture mortality	3

Consequence Analysis

Vulnerable Subcomponent(s)	Score
All	80