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Biology

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Adult Atlantic mackerels form schools close to the surface; they have to swim constantly as they 'breathe' by a method known as ram ventilation, which requires a constant flow of water across the gill surfaces (5). They are active mainly in the day (2), and feed on small fishes such as sand eels (Ammodytes spp.), as well as small crustaceans, which are filtered from the water (4). They spend the winter in deep water, and stop feeding at this time (4); they migrate closer to shore during spring (2). During spawning, eggs and sperm are released into the sea. Both the eggs and larvae are pelagic; the eggs have a globule of oil, which keeps them afloat in the surface waters (4). Larvae begin to feed on copepods (tiny crustaceans) when they reach sizes of around 3mm. They will have grown to lengths of 25 cm after just one year. This is a long-lived species; the maximum recorded lifespan in the North Sea is 25 years (4).
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Conservation

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In Europe, the European Union is responsible for conserving and managing marine fish and their fisheries, with fisheries controlled by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) (6). However, in the past the CFP has not effectively controlled the fishing fleets of the EU; furthermore there are complex socio-economic issues involved in this controversial issue, with entire communities wholly dependent on the fishing industry (6). The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) advises governments on the status of fish stocks, yet often their warnings have gone unheeded (7). The British Government has limited powers to initiate marine fisheries management measures. However, a grouped Action Plan for commercial marine fish has been produced under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. This aims to minimise the collapse of local stocks of a number of commercially exploited marine fish (6).
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Description

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The Atlantic mackerel is a beautifully streamlined, fast-swimming fish. It has silver underparts and metallic green and blue upperparts with irregular bands along the back (3). It belongs to the same family as tuna (4), and is a highly commercial species (2).
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Habitat

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This pelagic fish lives in the open ocean (2).
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Range

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Inhabits the north Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas. Along the coast of North America it is found from Labrador to Cape Lookout. There are two main stocks in the north-east Atlantic, the North Sea (east) and British Isles (west) (2).
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Status

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Widespread and common, but facing severe fishing pressure (6).
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Threats

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The North Sea and British Isles stocks of Atlantic mackerel declined drastically during the 1960's as a result of overfishing (2). Indeed, like many commercial marine fishes, the Atlantic mackerel faces severe pressure from fishing throughout its wide range (6). The overfishing of stocks of commercial fish is a severe and complex problem around the world, with many well-known species including cod and plaice in serious decline and at risk of complete collapse (7). As the technology involved in fishing has improved and the number of faster, more efficient boats has increased, populations of fish have decreased further and have been unable to reproduce fast enough to compensate for the massive losses (7). The problem can be summed up as: 'too many boats chasing too few fish' (6).
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Brief Summary

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Most people are familiar with mackerel from the fish store, and particularly as a smoked fish. Live mackerel are rapid predator fish and eat mainly zooplankton. In the summer months, they swim in large schools in the upper water column, hunting copepods, fish larvae and other such organisms. After spawning in the summer, they also hunt herring, sprat and lesser sandeel, bringing them closer to the coast. There have been reports of schools of mackerel 9 by 4 kilometers in size and 40 meters deep.
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Benefits

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There, are important fisheries for S. scombrus in Fishing Area 21 (Northwest Atlantic), Area 27 (Northeast Atlantic), and Area 37 (Mediterranean and Black Sea) The world catch declined from about 1.1 million t in 1975 to about 610 000 t in 1981 (FAO, 1983). Atlantic mackerel is mainly caught with purse seines, sometimes together with sardines. Surface catches are best when the summer thermocline is not deeper than 15 to 20 meters so as to prevent the mackerel from escaping into deeper water. Other types of gear in use include trolling lines, gillnets, traps, beach seines, and midwater trawls. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 610 947 t. The countries with the largest catches were UK (166 658 t) and Norway (160 816 t). This species is traded fresh, frozen, smoked and canned.
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bibliographic citation
FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of Tunas, Mackerels, Bonitos and related species known to date.Collette, B.B.  &  C.E. Nauen 1983..  FAO Fish. Synop., (125)Vol.2:137 p.
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Brief Summary

provided by FAO species catalogs
An epipelagic and mesodemersal species,most abundant in cold and temperate, shelf areas. Atlantic mackerel school by size.They overwinter in deeper waters but move closer to shore in spring when water temperatures range between 11° and 14° C. Two separate populations with little or no interchange seem to exist in the northwestern and northeastern Atlantic (including the Mediterranean). In the western population spawning takes place from Cheasapeake Bay to Newfoundland, initiating in the south in spring and progressively extending northward during the summer. Most of the spawing take place within 10 to 30 miles from shore, but never in low-salinity estuaries. Large fish are the first to arrive at the spawning sites. The eastern population spawns from March to April in the Mediterranean, from May to June off southern England, northern France and in the North Sea, and from June to July in the Kattegat and Skagerrak. Fecundity, in a medium-sized female, fluctuates between 200 000 and 450 000 eggs per season and increases with size; spawning occurs in batches. Maturity is attained at an age of 2 or 3 years. Juvenile Atlantic mackerel feed on zooplankton (fish larvae, small crustaceans, pteropods).As they grow, they are in turn preyed upon by tunas, sharks and dolphins.
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FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of Tunas, Mackerels, Bonitos and related species known to date.Collette, B.B.  &  C.E. Nauen 1983..  FAO Fish. Synop., (125)Vol.2:137 p.
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Size

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Maximum fork length is 50 cm, common to 30 cm. In the population off the US coast, length at first maturity is approximately 34 cm in females and 32 cm in males; in the eastern part of the geographical distribution, maturity may be attained at approximately 30 cm. Females grow bigger than males.
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FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of Tunas, Mackerels, Bonitos and related species known to date.Collette, B.B.  &  C.E. Nauen 1983..  FAO Fish. Synop., (125)Vol.2:137 p.
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Distribution

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North Atlantic Ocean, including the Baltic Sea; eastern Atlantic including the Mediterranean and the Black seas; and western Atlantic from Labrador to Cape Lookout
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FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of Tunas, Mackerels, Bonitos and related species known to date.Collette, B.B.  &  C.E. Nauen 1983..  FAO Fish. Synop., (125)Vol.2:137 p.
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Diagnostic Description

provided by FAO species catalogs
Palatine wide, teeth in two widely spaced rows. Space between first dorsal fin groove and second dorsal fin clearly greater (approximately 1.5 times) than length of groove; anal fin origin opposite that of second dorsal fin or nearly so; anal fin spine conspicuous, joined to the fin by a membrane but clearly independent of it. Swimbladder absent. Vertebrae 13 precaudal plus 18 caudal; first haemal spine anterior to first interneural process; 21 to 28 interneural bones under first dorsal fin. Colour: markings on back oblique to near vertical, with relatively little undulating; belly unmarked.

References

  • Fischer, ed. (1973, Species Identification Sheets, Mediterranean and Black Sea)
  • Collette, (1981, Species Identification Sheets, Eastern Central Atlantic)
  • Sette, (1943, 1950)

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FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of Tunas, Mackerels, Bonitos and related species known to date.Collette, B.B.  &  C.E. Nauen 1983..  FAO Fish. Synop., (125)Vol.2:137 p.
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Trophic Strategy

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Mesodemersal. 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. In spring, the diet of the juveniles consisted of euphausiids, crustacean larvae and other zooplankton, whereas euphausiids formed 90% of the diet in adults (Ref. 55912). In autumn, juveniles ate hyperiids and gelatinous zooplankton, adults feed on blue whiting (Ref. 55912). Preyed upon by porbeagles, dogfish, Atlantic cod, bluefin tuna, swordfish, porpoises and harbour seals. Parasites of the species include monogenean, Kuhnia scombri on gills; trematodes, Podocotyle atomon and P. simplex; and nematodes, Anisakis simplex and Haematractidium scombri (Ref. 5951).
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Morphology

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Dorsal spines (total): 8 - 14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 113; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 12 - 13; Vertebrae: 31
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Migration

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Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.
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Diseases and Parasites

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Coccidiosis. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Mycobacteriosis. Bacterial diseases
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Diseases and Parasites

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Anisakis Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diagnostic Description

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This species has the following characters: no well developed corselet; interpelvic process small and single; anal fin spine conspicuous, joined to the fin by a membrane but clearly independent of it; anal fin origin opposite that of second dorsal fin; no swim bladder; first haemal spine anterior to first interneural process; 21-28 interneural bones under first dorsal fin; markings on back oblique to near vertical, with relatively little undulating; belly unmarked (Ref. 168).
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Diseases and Parasites

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Ichthyophonus Disease. Fungal diseases
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Diseases and Parasites

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Haemormidium Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Kuhnia Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Mazocraes Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Lecithocladium Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Opechona Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Grillotia angeli Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Podocotyle simplex Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Diseases and Parasites

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Thynnascaris Disease. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)
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Biology

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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 (Ref. 6769). Batch spawner (Ref. 51846). The species is traded fresh, frozen, smoked and canned. Eaten fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988). 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 (Ref. 35388).
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Importance

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fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes; price category: medium; price reliability: reliable: based on ex-vessel price for this species
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Atlantic mackerel

provided by wikipedia EN

The Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel or just mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic Ocean, where it is extremely common and occurs in huge shoals in the epipelagic zone down to about 200 m (660 ft). It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures.

The Atlantic mackerel's body is elongate, steel-blue marked with wavy black lines dorsally and silvery-white ventrally, its snout long and pointed. It possesses two spiny dorsal fins, which are spaced far apart, two pectoral fins, and small caudal and anal fins, also spaced far apart. 4-6 dorsal finlets and 5 anal finlets are typical among members of this species. The fish's body tapers down its length, ending with a large tail fin. Typical size for a mature fish is 30 cm (0.98 ft), but individuals have been caught as large as 60 cm (2.0 ft). The maximum published weight is 3.4 kg (7.5 lb). Reproduction, which is oviparous, occurs near the shore in the spring and summer, during which a female can produce as many as 450,000 eggs. Juveniles reach sexual maturity at around 2 years of age and can live to be 17.

A highly commercial species, the Atlantic mackerel is sought after for its meat, which is strong in flavor and high in oil content and omega-3 fatty acids among other nutrients. Nearly 1 million tonnes of Atlantic mackerel are caught each year globally, the bulk of which is sold fresh, frozen, smoked, or canned. Despite its highly commercial status, the Atlantic mackerel is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and global catch has remained sustainable.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The Atlantic mackerel was first described in 1758 by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in his 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Linnaeus gave it the scientific name Scomber scomber from the Greek word skombros meaning "tunny" or "mackerel". Because of its wide distribution, the Atlantic mackerel was independently described 6 more times by 5 different scientists between 1814 and 1863. Its specific name was later changed to scombrus by B. B. Collette and C. E. Nauen in 1983.[2] It is differentiated from its congeners in a number of ways, the first being the absence of a swim bladder. Its palatine bone is also wider than other members of its genus and its otolith is oval-shaped where its congeners' are rectangular.[3]

In the eastern Atlantic Ocean there are three stocks differentiated by location and time at which spawning occurs, but studies have not found any distinct genetic differences between these populations. Genetic differences only start to appear at the transatlantic scale, a fact supported by a lack of migration between western and eastern Atlantic populations, whereas eastern Atlantic stocks are known to converge in certain locations like the Norwegian Sea and North Sea.[4]

Description

An 1835 illustration of the Atlantic mackerel.

The Atlantic mackerel has an elongate, fusiform body with a long, pointed snout. The eyes are large and covered by an adipose eyelid, while the teeth are small, sharp, and conical. Scales are also small, with the exceptions of those immediately posterior to the head and around the pectoral fins. These small scales give the Atlantic mackerel a velvet-like feel. The two dorsal fins are large and spaced far apart. The second dorsal fin is typically followed by 5 dorsal finlets, though it can have 4 or 6. The anal fin, which originates slightly behind the second dorsal fin, is similar to it in size and shape and is also succeeded by 5 finlets. The fish's body tapers to a slim caudal peduncle, the end of the fish to which the short but broad tail fin is attached.[5] Its body is steel-blue dorsally with wavy black lines running perpendicular to the fish's length. The rest of its body is silvery-white to yellow and may have darker splotches.[6] It can reach sizes of up to 60 cm (24 in) and has a common length of 30 cm (12 in). Its maximum published weight is 3.4 kg (7.5 lb).[2]

Distribution and habitat

The Atlantic mackerel's native range in the western Atlantic extends from Labrador, Canada to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. In the eastern Atlantic, it can be found from Iceland and Norway to as far south as Mauritania. It is also found in the Mediterranean, Black, and Baltic Seas.[1] Its latitudinal range is 70°N-25°N and its longitudinal range is 77°W-42°E.[2] Its preferred water temperature is above 8 °C (46 °F), but Atlantic mackerel are common in waters as cold as 7 °C (45 °F) and have been found, albeit rarely, in 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) waters.[7] The Atlantic mackerel's common depth range extends from the surface to 200 m (660 ft), but individuals can be found as deep as 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[2]

Atlantic mackerel are migratory fish, spending the spring and summer closer to shore about 32–161 km (20–100 mi) out, with juveniles moving closer in to shore than adults. Occasionally, fish will even enter harbors, and those that do are usually juveniles. In the fall and winter they move farther out and farther south to the warmer waters on the edge of the continental shelf. They first come in to land in North America in April at the southern end of their range, but are found along the coast through their entire range by July. They start moving back out to sea again in September and are completely gone from the coast by December. Food availability increases greatly during the summer, and fish reach a peak for fat tissue in August, a mere four months after their lowest point in April.[7]

Biology and ecology

The Atlantic mackerel is an active, fast-moving fish that must keep in constant motion to bring in enough oxygen to survive. It swims using short movements of the rear of its body and the caudal fin. Unlike other mackerel, Atlantic mackerel do not leap out of the water unless attempting to escape a predator.[5] They form large schools, consisting of individuals of the same relative size, near the ocean surface during all seasons but winter. Because larger fish have a greater ratio of muscle mass to surface area, schools of larger fish are able to swim more quickly than schools made up of smaller individuals.[8]

Feeding

When feeding on larger prey, schools tend to break down into shoals and individuals find food on their own. When consuming plankton, however, Atlantic mackerel form tight aggregations, open their mouths as wide as possible, and extend their operculums, swimming in a tightly packed school that acts like a series of miniature tow nets. Spaced only about the diameter of a single fish's mouth apart, this formation greatly reduces the ability of plankton to evade capture, as a plankton darting out of the way of one fish is likely to end up in the jaws of another. Copepods make up the majority of the Atlantic mackerel's diet, Calanus finmarchicus being the most abundant.[7]

Atlantic mackerel close-up
Atlantic mackerel.

Life history

Like other mackerels, reproduction in the Atlantic mackerel is oviparous. Spawning occurs day or night in the spring and summer months, primarily within 48 km (30 mi) of shore, though it can occur as far out as 130 km (81 mi). A single female can spawn as many as 450,000 eggs in a spawning season. Eggs mature in batches over the course of a week and are pelagic once released, remaining within 15–25 m (49–82 ft) of the surface. Time to hatching is dependent on the water temperature, and ranges from 2 days at 21 °C (70 °F) to 8.5 days at 10 °C (50 °F). Most eggs are spawned in waters 9–12 °C (48–54 °F) in temperature, and as such the majority of eggs hatch in about a week. Eggs are anywhere from 1.0–1.3 mm (0.039–0.051 in) in size, trending towards smaller as the spawning season goes on. Larvae undergo three developmental stages: the yolk sac stage, the larval stage, and the post-larval stage. Larvae are 3 mm (0.12 in) when they hatch and feed on the yolk sac for about 5 days. During the larval stage, which lasts about a month, larvae grow to 10 mm (0.39 in) in length. They are largely incapable of swimming, instead floating with the current. During the post-larval stage, which occurs over the next 40 days and during which the fish reaches 50 mm (2.0 in) in length, it swims to the surface at night and down to deeper waters during the day. At the end of the post-larval stage, juveniles resemble an adult mackerel in all but size. Schooling behavior occurs around this time.[8]

Sexual maturity is reached at around 2 years of age, though some fish may reproduce a season earlier or a season later. Though some fish are sexually mature at 25 cm (9.8 in) in length, even by 34 cm (13 in) only about half of females will be ready to reproduce. At 37 cm (15 in), 90% of fish are capable of reproduction.[8] An Atlantic mackerel can live for up to 17 years and attain a length of 60 cm (24 in) and a weight of 3.4 kg (7.5 lb).[2]

Human interaction

The Atlantic mackerel is of commercial importance to many Atlantic fisheries, which catch it with purse seines, trawls, gill and trammel nets, and trolling lines. Global annual catch is typically in the range of 1 million tonnes, though a 50% spike in 2014 put this number at nearly 1.5 million tonnes. The United Kingdom and Norway bring in the most Atlantic mackerel, with annual catches coming in at over 166,000 tonnes and 160,000 tonnes respectively.[6] There are three stocks in the eastern Atlantic: one in the south, one in the west, and another in the North Sea. There are two populations in the Mediterranean, one in the east and one in the west.[1] In the western Atlantic there are two stocks, one in the north and one in the south,[7] for which assessments are, according to the IUCN, "highly uncertain".[1]

As food

Atlantic mackerel outer meat is red meat while inner meat is white, with a strong taste desirable to some consumers. They are sold fresh, frozen, smoked, salted, filleted, or as steaks. The fish is extremely high in oil content, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium, niacin,[9] and omega 3, a class of fatty acids, containing nearly twice as much of the latter per unit weight as salmon. Unlike the King and Spanish species, Northern Atlantic mackerel are very low in mercury, and can be eaten at least twice a week according to United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.[10][11]

Conservation

Despite its commercial status, the Atlantic mackerel was assessed to be of Least Concern by the IUCN in 2011. Its abundance and extensive range combined with a cyclical increase/decrease in catch mean that it is not currently in danger of going extinct. The IUCN did recommend careful monitoring, however, especially as the effects of climate change may impact population size and distribution. In the northeastern Atlantic, several countries impose minimum landing sizes. In the European Union this size is 18 cm (7.1 in), Ukraine 15 cm (5.9 in), Turkey 20 cm (7.9 in), Romania 23 cm (9.1 in),[1] and Canada 26.4 cm (10.4 in).

Symbol

The Spanish word for mackerel (caballa) is a colloquial demonym for the people of Ceuta, Spain.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Collette, B.; Boustany, A.; Carpenter, K.E.; Di Natale, A.; Fox, W.; Graves, J.; Juan Jorda, M.; Kada, O.; Nelson, R.; Oxenford, H. (2011). "Scomber scombrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T170354A6764313. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T170354A6764313.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Scomber scombrus" in FishBase. February 2017 version.
  3. ^ Abdussamad, E. M.; Sandhya Sukumaran; Arun K. O. Ratheesh; K. Mohamed Koya; K. P. S. Koya; Prathibha Rohit; Sally Reader; K. V. Akhilesh; A. Gopalakrishnan (2016). "Scomber indicus, a new species of mackerel (Scombridae: Scombrini) from the Eastern Arabian Sea" (PDF). Indian Journal of Fisheries. 63 (3): 1–10. doi:10.21077/ijf.2016.63.3.59184-01.
  4. ^ Nesbo, Camilla L.; Eli K. Rueness; Svein A. Iversen; Dankert W. Skagen; Kjetill S. Jakobsen (2000). "Phylogeography and population history of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus L.): a genealogical approach reveals genetic structuring among the eastern Atlantic stocks". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 267 (1440): 281–292. doi:10.1098/rspb.2000.0998. PMC 1690521. PMID 10714883.
  5. ^ a b "Mackerel (Scomber scombrus)". gma.org. Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
  6. ^ a b "Scomber scombrus". FAO.org. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d Sette, Oscar Elton (1952). "Biology of the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) of North America: Part II-Migrations and Habits" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service. 51: 251–358. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  8. ^ a b c Sette, Oscar Elton (1943). "Biology of the Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) of North America: Part I:Early life history, including the growth, drift, and mortality of the egg and larval populations" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service. 50: 149–237.
  9. ^ "Atlantic Mackerel". fishchoice.com. FishChoice Inc.
  10. ^ "Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012)". fda.gov. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Evaluation of Mercury, Lead, Cadmium and the Food Additives Amaranth Diethylpyrocarbonate, and Octyl Gallate". World Health Organization.
  12. ^ "Caballas". El Faro de Ceuta (in Spanish). 15 May 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  13. ^ caballa | Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish) (23.5 ed.). RAE-ASALE. 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
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Atlantic mackerel: Brief Summary

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The Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel or just mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic Ocean, where it is extremely common and occurs in huge shoals in the epipelagic zone down to about 200 m (660 ft). It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures.

The Atlantic mackerel's body is elongate, steel-blue marked with wavy black lines dorsally and silvery-white ventrally, its snout long and pointed. It possesses two spiny dorsal fins, which are spaced far apart, two pectoral fins, and small caudal and anal fins, also spaced far apart. 4-6 dorsal finlets and 5 anal finlets are typical among members of this species. The fish's body tapers down its length, ending with a large tail fin. Typical size for a mature fish is 30 cm (0.98 ft), but individuals have been caught as large as 60 cm (2.0 ft). The maximum published weight is 3.4 kg (7.5 lb). Reproduction, which is oviparous, occurs near the shore in the spring and summer, during which a female can produce as many as 450,000 eggs. Juveniles reach sexual maturity at around 2 years of age and can live to be 17.

A highly commercial species, the Atlantic mackerel is sought after for its meat, which is strong in flavor and high in oil content and omega-3 fatty acids among other nutrients. Nearly 1 million tonnes of Atlantic mackerel are caught each year globally, the bulk of which is sold fresh, frozen, smoked, or canned. Despite its highly commercial status, the Atlantic mackerel is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and global catch has remained sustainable.

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Diet

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Feeds on plankton, amphipods, euphausiids, shrimps, small squid and crab and fish larvae

Reference

North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

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Distribution

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Labrador to Cape Lookout, N.C.

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North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

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Habitat

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Pelagic species found to depths of 200 m, overwinter near bottoms, move upward in spring.

Reference

North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

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Habitat

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nektonic

Reference

North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

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Habitat

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Known from seamounts and knolls

Reference

Stocks, K. 2009. Seamounts Online: an online information system for seamount biology. Version 2009-1. World Wide Web electronic publication.

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