Abstract: Based on the survey data of Mugil cephalus caught by gill nets in coastal waters of Putian during November of 2010 to February of 2011, this paper studied the composition of spawning population, distribution of mature degree and the fishery status of Mugil cephalus. The results showed that the spawning stage and fishing season of Mugil cephalus were autumn and winter. The spawning population was mainly caught by gill net with the dominant fork length from 450~550 mm. The fishery resources reduction and no fishing seasons of seedling of Mugil cephalus were due to over-fishing spawning population by gill nets in coastal waters. In order to protect and utilize the resources of Mugil cephalus, this paper suggested developing the investigation on rational catching Mugil cephalus by gill nets and swing nets in coastal waters.