Grey mullet, Mugil cephalus, is one of the most widely
distributed food fi shes in the world (McDonough et al., 2003).
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the fi sh, locally known
as Biah or Wagena, is considered as one of the most highly
demanded fi sh. However, it was recently recognized that the
landings of this species have drastically decreased and its
presence in the local fi sh markets became rare (MAF, 2003).
In captivity, grey mullets do not spawn spontaneously and that
could be achieved successfully by hormone administration
(Lee and Tamaru, 1988, El-Gharabawy and Assem, 2006).
This has lead to increasing interest by the Aquaculture
Center, Abu Al Abyad Island (ACAAB), Emirate of Abu Dhabi,
UAE to propagate the fi sh. The ACAAB is situated in Abu
Al Abyad Island which is the major island of the Emirate
of Abu Dhabi covering an area of 490 km2. The island is
characterised by its harsh environmental conditions where
water temperature and salinity during summer time reach
as high as 36 ºC and 58 ppt, respectively (Al Abdessalaam
and Yousif, 2002).The results of the fi rst induced spawning
and larviculture trials of this species under the environmental
conditions of Abu Al Abyad Island (50 -55 ppt) are presented
in this article