Language                                                  Name

Noongar-Wudjari (W8):                 

Noongar-Nyoongar/Baaduk (W41):      Mederong (mamoongat) 

Common name:                                       Sea Mullet, Hard-Gut Mullet, Grey Mullet, River Mullet, Bully Mullet, Poddies, Sand Mullet, Bully, Mangrove Mullet, Striped                                                                         Mullet

Scientific name:                                       Mugil cephalus

Group name for Fish

Wudjari:                                                 

Nyoongar/Baaduk:                                  Djildjit

Nyoongar:          mederong = mullet, mamoongat = ocean (mamoo = spirit, ngat = place of)

Looks like: 
Nyoongar: Eyes are green - not yellow. They are a silver fish. Can grow up to a foot long. 

Feels like: 
Nyoongar: Slippery, smooth and scaly.

Tastes like: 
Nyoongar: Delicious - very nice taste. Much better than the river mullet. 

Smells like: 
Nyoongar: Salt water.

Food: 
Nyoongar: Cooked whole in the ashes or on the coals, fully scaled. 

Medicine:
Nyoongar: Use the fats for medicine. It is healthy like fish oil and is put on the skin and in the hair. 

Other uses:

Nyoongar: Lives in the ocean and comes into the estuary for spawning, around Mookaroo and Djilba. It is fished for in the estuaries because it is too hard to catch in the ocean.

Nyoongar: They swim in massive schools and stick with their mob like Nyoongar people.

Nyoongar: Was a totem for some people. 

HUNTING: Fish traps were made in two rows across rivers. They were made with sticks. They would use the sticks, sticking them upright in the riverbed in two rows going across the river – they would weave weeds in between the sticks in each row to create two barriers, stopping the mullet from passing through. They would get the kids to slap the water and scare the mullet up the river. Mullet comes along the river in big schools, which would jump over the first row of traps straight into the second row, getting stuck in the weeds, which act as nets, where they would be collected for eating. Working together young and old would slap the water and make noise while others would hold up nets and position nets underwater. The scared mullet would jump and be netted. They would take what they need and let the rest go.

Nyoongar: Mookaroo and Djilba (Winter and start of Spring)

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Birak
 

Boonaroo
 

Djeran
 

Mookaroo
Nyoongar: Comes into estuary for spawning. Can catch them around this time.
 

Djilba
Nyoongar: Comes into estuary for spawning. Can catch them around this time.
 

Kambarang

Nyoongar: They are integral to the ecological system of Australia, and Taalyaraak Country.

Nyoongar: People would have them as a significant totem (known as the river people).

Nyoongar: Connected to the Dolphin. Connected to the the bilya (river) Mederong.

Nyoongar: All plants and animals have a connection to the outer world.

Nyoongar: Leave them alone and make sure they are not overfished. It is essential to preserve these animals rather than destroy their habitats, because they only live in certain areas.