Listen to the Song – The River Train
The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet
The River Train
The complete lyrics are included in the companion book, Our Jewels in the Water, allowing readers to follow every song while discovering the remarkable stories behind our freshwater and migratory fish.
Enjoying the music?
The companion book Our Jewels in the Water includes the full lyrics, additional stories, exclusive photographs and beautiful illustrations for every species.
“Like silver carriages following an invisible track, the mullet move with the tide — from estuary to river and back towards the sea.”
Species Profile
The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet (Chelon labrosus) is one of the most distinctive fish to visit Britain’s estuaries, harbours and tidal rivers.
Its name comes from the noticeably thick upper lip, a feature that helps distinguish it from other species of grey mullet.
With a strong, streamlined body, large scales and a silvery-grey appearance, the Thick-lipped Grey Mullet is perfectly adapted to life in changing coastal environments.
It is equally at home around harbour walls and estuaries as it is travelling considerable distances into tidal rivers.
Often seen moving together in groups, these fish can appear almost like a procession passing beneath the surface.
A river train following the tide.
Clive’s Story
There is something fascinating about watching mullet moving through a river.
You may see one fish appear and then another behind it.
Then another.
Before long, an entire group is moving steadily through the water as though every fish knows exactly where it is going.
That image immediately makes me think of a train.
One following another, travelling along an invisible track laid down by the tide.
For an angler, Thick-lipped Grey Mullet can also be wonderfully frustrating.
They may be clearly visible.
You know they are there.
You can watch them feeding.
Yet persuading one to take your bait can be another matter altogether.
That challenge is part of what makes them such fascinating fish.
Natural History
Thick-lipped Grey Mullet inhabit coastal waters, estuaries, harbours and tidal river systems.
They are remarkably tolerant of changing salinity, allowing them to move between marine and brackish environments and into the lower reaches of rivers.
Their feeding habits are particularly interesting.
Mullet browse over surfaces and sediments, taking algae, microscopic organisms, detritus and other organic material.
Their characteristic thick lips are well suited to this grazing style of feeding.
Groups of mullet can sometimes be observed cruising close to the surface or feeding around harbour walls, boats, pontoons and river structures.
Their movements are strongly influenced by tides, temperature, food availability and seasonal conditions.
Interesting Facts
- Scientific name: Chelon labrosus
- Family: Mugilidae.
- One of Britain’s grey mullet species.
- Recognised by its distinctive thick upper lip.
- Found around coasts, estuaries, harbours and tidal rivers.
- Tolerates considerable changes in salinity.
- Often travels and feeds in groups.
- Feeds extensively on algae, detritus and small organisms.
- Can travel well into tidal freshwater reaches.
- Known for being cautious and challenging to catch.
- Powerful fighters when hooked.
- Large specimens can be surprisingly old fish.
Behind the Song
When writing The River Train, I wanted the music to capture one of the most memorable sights associated with mullet.
A group of fish travelling together through a tidal river.
One appears.
Another follows.
Then another.
Soon a procession of silver shapes is moving steadily upstream as the tide carries water into the river.
It reminded me of railway carriages passing along a track.
But this railway has no steel rails.
Its track is the river itself.
The tide provides the timetable, and instinct tells the passengers when it is time to travel.
That image became The River Train.
Conservation
The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet is a reminder of how closely our rivers, estuaries and seas are connected.
A fish travelling through these environments may encounter pollution, habitat alteration, plastics and other human pressures along its journey.
Healthy estuaries are particularly important because they form the meeting place between freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Protecting tidal rivers therefore benefits far more than purely freshwater species.
It protects an entire corridor used by fish travelling between different worlds.
Mullet can also be long-lived fish, which makes respect for larger, older specimens particularly important.
Good water quality and healthy estuaries will help ensure that these remarkable visitors continue travelling our tidal rivers.
Clive’s Reflection
The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet reminds me that we sometimes draw boundaries in nature that fish simply ignore.
We call one place a river.
Another an estuary.
Another the sea.
But to the mullet they are connected parts of the same journey.
The tide rises and the fish move with it.
Later the water falls and the journey changes direction.
Perhaps that is why The River Train feels such an appropriate name.
The passengers have been making this journey long before our roads and railways existed.
Their timetable is written by the moon and the tide.
Their railway is the river.
And if we look after those waters, hopefully the River Train will continue running for generations to come.
“The tide sets the timetable, the river lays the track, and the silver travellers follow their ancient journey.”