Explaining the signs scientifically, a researcher at the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute says, "Mullet like to eat refuse, so they 'seek odors.' And their scales are phosphorescent, flashing silver in the day and red at night." In fact, marine biologists know quite a bit about mullet, their habits and migratory patterns.
台灣省水產試驗所漁業生物系主任郭慶老以科學理論來解釋這些癥兆，他說：「因為烏魚喜食爛泥或垃圾，所以有『逐臭』習性；它的魚鱗含有磷質，在白天會有銀白閃光，夜間呈紅光。」