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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Flathead grey mullet
Mugil cephalus
Κέφαλος

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

16 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

30 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

July – December

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation sets an unsustainably small legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected.

Choose responsibly by respecting sustainable size limits and avoiding consumption during the breeding season.

Archipelagos Tips

Avoid consuming fish caught in ports, marinas, or near sewage treatment plant outfalls, as they may contain elevated levels of pollutants and contaminants.

Common names

FR

Mulet

it

Cefalo

es

Mugil

tr

Haskefal

pt

Tainha

nl

Grijze Mul

de

Gemeine Meeräsche

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Well-developed eyelid covering most of the pupil. The fish has thin lips and small teeth arranged in several rows. The upper jaw reaches to about the front edge of the eye, and the rear part of the upper jaw is not visible when the mouth is closed.

It looks like Chelon auratus (Lebrancho) and Chelon labrosus, they all exhibit a streamlined, cylindrical body, two dorsal fins, and a forked caudal fin. However, key differences lie in their mouth structure (thick lips in Chelon labrosus), color patterns, and the extent of the eyelid.

Did you know?

The flathead mullet can jump out of the water to escape predators!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feed on zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, microalgae and detritus.
Juveniles feed on zooplankton until about 3cm.

habitat

Benthopelagic.
Adults are found in coastal waters, often entering estuaries and rivers, and lagoons and hypersaline environments.
They are usually in schools over sand or mud bottom.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 100 cm
Max weight: 12 kg
Depth range: 0-120 m

breeding & Growth

Breeding at sea during winter (roughly October–February) after migrating from coastal lagoons.
Adults form schools and migrate offshore to spawn and developing larvae migrate back inshore.
Females are sexually mature at 3 to 4 years.
Growth rate: Slow (k: 0.23yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 5-10 years
Max reported age: 16 years
Distribution: Bay of Biscay to South Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea.

appearance changes

Primarily driven by maturation, migration and the transition from juvenile (inshore/freshwater) to adult (marine) environments. While generally olive-green on the back and silvery on the belly, adults develop a distinct dark pectoral axillary blotch (sometimes blue) and can show faint longitudinal stripes along their scales. Females generally become larger than males.

Reproductive Cycle

Females spawn 800,000 to 2.6 million eggs, which develop at sea once a year.
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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms