Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

Scientific name: Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758

Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

The Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Scombridae. Native range: North Atlantic.

Biology

Abundant in cold and temperate shelf areas, forms large schools near the surface. They overwinter in deeper waters but move closer to shore in spring when water temperatures range between 11? and 14?C. Mainly diurnal, it feeds on zooplankton and small fish. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Batch spawner. The species is traded fresh, frozen, smoked and canned. Eaten fried, broiled and baked. Two stocks in north-east Atlantic: North Sea (east) and British Isles (west). North Sea stock decreased dramatically in the 1960's because of direct overfishing. Recruitment has been poor and unstable. After spawning, the adult feed very actively moving around in small shoals. The South-West Mackerel Handline (http://www.msc.org/html/content_488.htm) and Hastings Fleet Pelagic Fishery Mackerel, (http://www.msc.org/html/

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Scomber scombrus
Family
Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
60.0
Common length
30.0
Depth range
0–1000 m (0–3281 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 1000 m, usually 0 - 200 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
North Atlantic.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (rm=0.33-0.56; K=0.23-0.27; tm=2-3; tmax=17; Fec=200,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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