Mackerel
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:About Template:Other uses Template:Multiple image Template:Common fish
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment.
Mackerel species typically have deeply forked tails and vertical "tiger-like" stripes on their backs with an iridescent green-blue quality.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many are restricted in their distribution ranges and live in separate populations or fish stocks based on geography. Some stocks migrate in large schools along the coast to suitable spawning grounds, where they spawn in fairly shallow waters. After spawning they return the way they came in smaller schools to suitable feeding grounds, often near an area of upwelling. From there they may move offshore into deeper waters and spend the winter in relative inactivity. Other stocks migrate across oceans.
Smaller mackerel are forage fish for larger predators, including larger mackerel and Atlantic cod.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Flocks of seabirds, whales, dolphins, sharks, and schools of larger fish such as tuna and marlin follow mackerel schools and attack them in sophisticated and cooperative ways. Mackerel flesh is high in omega-3 oils and is intensively harvested by humans. In 2009, over 5 million tons were landed by commercial fishermen.<ref name="FAOdata"/> Sport fishermen value the fighting abilities of the king mackerel.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Species
[edit]Over 30 different species, principally belonging to the family Scombridae, are commonly referred to as mackerel. The term "mackerel" is derived from Old French and may have originally meant either "marked, spotted" or "pimp, procurer". The latter connection is not altogether clear, but mackerel spawn enthusiastically in shoals near the coast, and medieval ideas on animal procreation were creative.<ref>Template:Cite dictionary</ref>
Scombroid mackerels
[edit]About 21 species in the family Scombridae are commonly called mackerel. The type species for the scombroid mackerel is the Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus. Until recently, Atlantic chub mackerel and Indo-Pacific chub mackerel were thought to be subspecies of the same species. In 1999, Collette established, on molecular and morphological considerations, that these are separate species.<ref name=IUCNscombrus /> Mackerel are smaller with shorter lifecycles than their close relatives, the tuna, which are also members of the same family.<ref name="Juan-Jorda2011">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Scombrini, the true mackerels
[edit]The true mackerels belong to the tribe Scombrini.<ref name="ITIS_Scombrini">Template:ITIS</ref> The tribe consists of seven species, each belonging to one of two genera: Scomber or Rastrelliger.<ref name="ITIS_Scomber">Template:ITIS</ref><ref name="ITIS_Rastrelliger">Template:ITIS</ref>
| True Mackerels (tribe Scombrini) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common name | Scientific name | Maximum length |
Common length |
Maximum weight |
Maximum age |
Trophic level |
FishBase | FAO | IUCN status |
| Short mackerel | Rastrelliger brachysoma (Bleeker, 1851) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 2.72 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | VU IUCN 3 1.svg Vulnerable<ref>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Island mackerel | R. faughni (Matsui, 1967) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 3.4 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | VU IUCN 3 1.svg Vulnerable<ref>Template:Cite IUCN</ref> | |||
| Indian mackerel | R. kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4 years | 3.19 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |
| Blue mackerel | Scomber australasicus (Cuvier, 1832) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.2 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNaustralasicus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Atlantic chub mackerel | S. colias (Gmelin, 1789) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 20 years | 3.91 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNcolias>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Chub mackerel | S. japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 18 years | 3.09 | <ref name=FishBasejaponicus>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref name=FAOjaponicus>Template:Cite web</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNSjaponicus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> |
| Atlantic mackerel | S. scombrus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 12 years west 18 years east |
3.65 | <ref name=FishBasescombrus>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref name=FAOscombrus>Template:Cite web</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNscombrus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> |
Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels
[edit]The Spanish mackerels belong to the tribe Scomberomorini, which is the "cousin tribe" of the true mackerels.<ref name="ITIS_Scomberomorini">Template:ITIS</ref> This tribe consists of 21 species in all—18 of those are classified into the genus Scomberomorus,<ref name="ITIS_Scomberomorus">Template:ITIS</ref> two into Grammatorcynus,<ref name="ITIS_Grammatorcynus">Template:ITIS</ref> and a single species into the monotypic genus Acanthocybium.<ref name="ITIS_Acanthocybium">Template:ITIS</ref>
| Spanish Mackerels (tribe Scomberomorini) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common name | Scientific name | Maximum length |
Common length |
Maximum weight |
Maximum age |
Trophic level |
FishBase | FAO | IUCN status |
| Wahoo | Acanthocybium solandri (Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1832) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 9 years | 4.4 | <ref name=":1">Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNwahoo>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |
| Shark mackerel | Grammatorcynus bicarinatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNbicarinatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |||
| Double-lined mackerel | G. bilineatus (Rüppell, 1836) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.18 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNbilineatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Serra Spanish mackerel | Scomberomorus brasiliensis (Collette, Russo & Zavala-Camin, 1978) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 3.31 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNbrasiliensis>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| King mackerel | S. cavalla (Cuvier, 1829) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 14 years | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref name=FAOcavalla>Template:Cite web</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNcavalla>Template:Cite iucn</ref> |
| Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel | S. commerson (Lacepède, 1800) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | NT IUCN 3 1.svg Near threatened<ref name=IUCNcommerson>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |
| Monterrey Spanish mackerel | S. concolor (Lockington, 1879) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.24 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | NT IUCN 3 1.svg Near threatened<ref name="IUCNconcolor">Template:Cite IUCN</ref> | |||
| Indo-Pacific king mackerel | S. guttatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 16 years | 4.28 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | DD IUCN 3 1.svg Data deficient<ref name=IUCNguttatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> |
| Korean mackerel | S. koreanus (Kishinouye, 1915) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.2 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNkoreanus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Streaked Spanish mackerel | S. lineolatus (Cuvier, 1829) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNlineolatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Atlantic Spanish mackerel | S. maculatus (Mitchill, 1815) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 5 years | 4.5 | <ref name=FishBasemaculatus>Template:FishBase</ref> | <ref name=FAOmaculatus>Template:Cite web</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNmaculatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |
| Papuan Spanish mackerel | S. multiradiatus Munro, 1964 |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.0 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNmultiradiatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |||
| Australian spotted mackerel | S. munroi (Collette & Russo, 1980) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.3 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | NT IUCN 3 1.svg Near threatened<ref name=IUCNmunroi>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |||
| Japanese Spanish mackerel | S. niphonius (Cuvier, 1832) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref><ref name=":0" /> | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | NT IUCN 3 1.svg Near threatened<ref>Template:Cite IUCN</ref> | ||
| Queen mackerel | S. plurilineatus Fourmanoir, 1966 |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.2 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | DD IUCN 3 1.svg Data deficient<ref name=IUCNplurilineatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |||
| Queensland school mackerel | S. queenslandicus (Munro, 1943) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 10 years | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNqueenslandicus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |
| Cero mackerel | S. regalis (Bloch, 1793) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNregalis>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | |||
| Broadbarred king mackerel | S. semifasciatus (Macleay, 1883) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Convert | 10 years | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name=IUCNsemifasciatus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Pacific sierra | S. sierra (Cuvier, 1832) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref><ref name=":0" /> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name="IUCNsierra">Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| Chinese mackerel | S. sinensis (Cuvier, 1832) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Convert | 4.5 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref><ref name=":0" /> | NT IUCN 3 1.svg Near threatened<ref>Template:Cite iucn</ref> | ||
| West African Spanish mackerel | S. tritor (Cuvier, 1832) |
Template:Cvt | Template:Cvt | Template:Convert | 4.26 | <ref>Template:FishBase</ref> | LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern<ref name="IUCNsierra"/> | ||
Other mackerel
[edit]In addition, a number of species with mackerel-like characteristics in the families Carangidae, Hexagrammidae and Gempylidae are commonly referred to as mackerel. Some confusion had occurred between the Pacific jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) and the heavily harvested Chilean jack mackerel (T. murphyi). These have been thought at times to be the same species, but are now recognized as separate species.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The term "mackerel" is also used as a modifier in the common names of other fish, sometimes indicating the fish has vertical stripes similar to a scombroid mackerel:
- Mackerel icefish—Champsocephalus gunnari
- Mackerel pike—Cololabis saira
- Mackerel shark—several species
- Shortfin mako shark—Isurus oxyrinchus
- Mackerel tuna—Euthynnus affinis
- Mackerel tail goldfish—Carassius auratus
By extension, the term is applied also to other species such as the mackerel tabby cat,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and to inanimate objects such as the altocumulus mackerel sky cloud formation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Characteristics (Scombridae)
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Most mackerel belong to the family Scombridae, which also includes tuna and bonito. Generally, mackerel are much smaller and slimmer than tuna, though in other respects, they share many common characteristics. Their scales, if present at all, are extremely small. Like tuna and bonito, mackerel are voracious feeders, and are swift and manoeuvrable swimmers, able to streamline themselves by retracting their fins into grooves on their bodies. Like other scombroids, they lack a swim bladder, and their bodies are cylindrical with numerous finlets on the dorsal and ventral sides behind the dorsal and anal fins, but unlike the deep-bodied tuna, they are slim.<ref name=FAOTuna />
The type species for scombroid mackerels is the Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus. These fish are iridescent blue-green above with a silvery underbelly and near-vertical wavy black stripes running along their upper bodies.<ref name=FishBasescombrus /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Failed verification
The prominent stripes on the back of mackerels seemingly are there to provide camouflage against broken backgrounds. That is not the case, though, because mackerel live in midwater pelagic environments which have no background.<ref name=Denton1998>Template:Cite journal</ref> However, fish have an optokinetic reflex in their visual systems that can be sensitive to moving stripes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> For fish to school efficiently, they need feedback mechanisms that help them align themselves with adjacent fish, and match their speed. The stripes on neighbouring fish provide "schooling marks", which signal changes in relative position.<ref name=Denton1998 /><ref name="Bone">Template:Cite book</ref> The lateral line also helps with orderly schooling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
A layer of thin, reflecting platelets is seen on some of the mackerel stripes. In 1998, E J Denton and D M Rowe argued that these platelets transmit additional information to other fish about how a given fish moves. As the orientation of the fish changes relative to another fish, the amount of light reflected to the second fish by this layer also changes. This sensitivity to orientation gives the mackerel "considerable advantages in being able to react quickly while schooling and feeding."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Mackerel range in size from small forage fish to larger game fish. Coastal mackerel tend to be small.<ref name="Lal8">Template:Cite book</ref> The king mackerel is an example of a larger mackerel. Most fish are cold-blooded, but exceptions exist. Certain species of fish maintain elevated body temperatures. Endothermic bony fishes are all in the suborder Scombroidei and include the butterfly mackerel, a species of primitive mackerel.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Mackerel are strong swimmers. Known in the latin family as "punctualis piscis" which translates to "punctual fish." This is due to its punctuality of migration during mating season as it moves from warm to cold waters. Atlantic mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.98 m/sec with a burst speed of 5.5 m/sec,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> while chub mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.92 m/sec with a burst speed of 2.25 m/sec.<ref name=FAOTuna>Template:Cite web</ref> The Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) has been known to reach speeds of up to Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Distribution
[edit]Most mackerel species have restricted distribution ranges,<ref name=FAOTuna /> while others, like the Wahoo, are found in all oceans between 59°N and 48°S.<ref name=":1" />
In combination, these fish (Scombroids) can be found worldwide in all oceans of the world, excluding the Southern and Arctic Oceans. However, the Atlantic chub mackerel has been spotted near Greenland in the Arctic Ocean on rare occasions as global warming makes the Arctic more habitable for them.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Some mackerel species, especially pelagic and filter feeding one such as chub mackerel, migrate vertically, staying at certain depths depending on the time of day and food availability.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
For example, adult snake mackerel, conduct a diel vertical migration, staying in deeper water during the day and rising to the surface at night to feed. The young and juveniles also migrate vertically, but in the opposite direction, staying near the surface during the day and moving deeper at night.<ref name="burton">Template:Cite book</ref>
Lifecycle and ecology (Scombroids)
[edit]
Mackerel are prolific broadcast spawners, and must breed near the surface of the water because the eggs of the females float. Individual females lay between 300,000 and 1,500,000 eggs.<ref name=FAOTuna /> Their eggs and larvae are pelagic, that is, they float free in the open sea. The larvae and juvenile mackerel feed on zooplankton. As adults, they have sharp teeth, and hunt small crustaceans such as copepods, forage fish, shrimp, and squid. In turn, they are hunted by larger pelagic animals such as tuna, billfish, sea lions, sharks, and pelicans.<ref name=FAOjaponicus /><ref name=FAOcavalla /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Off Madagascar, spinner sharks follow migrating schools of mackerel.<ref name="compagno">Template:Cite book</ref> Bryde's whales feed on mackerel when they can find them. They use several feeding methods, including skimming the surface, lunging, and bubble nets.<ref name=NOAA>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fisheries
[edit]Template:Multiple image Template:Clear
Chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, are the most intensively fished scombroid mackerel. They account for about half the total capture production of scombroid mackerels.<ref name=FAOdata /> As a species, they are easily confused with Atlantic mackerel. Chub mackerel migrate long distances in oceans and across the Mediterranean. They can be caught with drift nets and suitable trawls, but are most usually caught with surround nets at night by attracting them with lampara lamps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The remaining catch of scombroid mackerels is divided equally between the Atlantic mackerel and all other scombroid mackerels. Just these two species (Chub mackerel and Atlantic mackerel) account for about 75% of the total catch of scombroid mackerels.<ref name=FAOdata />
Chilean jack mackerel are the most commonly fished non-scombroid mackerel, fished as heavily as chub mackerel.<ref name=FAOdata /><ref name=FAOmurphyi /> The species has been overfished, and its fishery may now be in danger of collapsing.<ref name=nytimes> Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=iWatch2> Template:Cite news</ref>
Smaller mackerel behave like herrings, and are captured in similar ways.<ref name=Clapham1941 /> Fish species like these, which school near the surface, can be caught efficiently by purse seining. Huge purse-seine vessels use spotter planes to locate the schooling fish. Then they close in using sophisticated sonar to track the shape of the school, which is then encircled with fast auxiliary boats that deploy purse seines as they speed around the school.<ref> Template:Cite web</ref><ref> Template:Cite book</ref>
Suitably designed trollers can also catch mackerels effectively when they swim near the surface. Trollers typically have several long booms which they lift and drop with "topping lifts". They haul their lines with electric or hydraulic reels.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fish aggregating devices are also used to target mackerel.<ref name=hi>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Management and conservation
[edit]The North Sea has been overfished to the point where the ecological balance has become disrupted and many jobs in the fishing industry have been lost.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The Southeast US region spans the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the US Southeast Atlantic. Overfishing of king and Spanish mackerel occurred in the 1980s. Regulations were introduced to restrict the size, fishing locations, and bag limits for recreational fishers and commercial fishers. Gillnets were banned in waters off Florida. By 2001, the mackerel stocks had bounced back.<ref name="FAO Profile">Template:Cite web</ref>
As food
[edit]
Template:Main Mackerel is an important food fish that is consumed worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As an oily fish, it is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The flesh of mackerel spoils quickly, especially in the tropics, and can cause scombroid food poisoning. Accordingly, it should be eaten on the day of capture, unless properly refrigerated or cured.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Mackerel preservation is not simple. Before the 19th-century development of canning and the widespread availability of refrigeration, salting and smoking were the principal preservation methods available.<ref>Template:Harvp</ref> Historically in England, this fish was not preserved, but was consumed only in its fresh form. However, spoilage was common, leading the authors of The Cambridge Economic History of Europe to remark: "There are more references to stinking mackerel in English literature than to any other fish!"<ref name=Clapham1941 /> In France, mackerel was traditionally pickled with large amounts of salt, which allowed it to be sold widely across the country.<ref name=Clapham1941>Template:Cite book</ref>
For many years mackerel was regarded as 'unclean' in the UK and other places due to folklore which suggested that the fish fed on the corpses of dead sailors.<ref name = BBCandrew>Template:Cite web</ref> A 1976 survey of housewives in Britain undertaken by the White Fish Authority indicated a reluctance to departing from buying the traditional staples of cod, haddock or salmon. Less than 10% of the survey's 1,931 respondents had ever bought mackerel, and only 3% did so regularly. As a result of this trend, many UK fishmongers during the 1970s did not display or even stock mackerel.<ref name = BBCandrew/> Template:Clear
References
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Template:Cite journal
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- Bigelow HB and Schroeder WC (1953) Fishes of the Gulf of Maine: Mackerel Fisheries Bulletin, Volume 53, Number 74, United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Burton M and Burton R (2002) International Wildlife Encyclopedia Marshall Cavendish, pp. 1517–1518. Template:ISBN.
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- Keay JN (2001) Handling and processing mackerel Template:Webarchive Torry advisory note 66.
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- SPRFMO(2009) Information describing Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) fisheries relating to the South Pacific Regional Fishery Management Organisation Working draft.
External links
[edit]- Atlantic Mackerel British Marine Life Study Society. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- Mackerel nutrition facts
- Fishing for mackerel
- Template:Cite NIE