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Common Name(s):
Mackerel or
Atlantic Mackerel
Scientific Name:
Scomber scombrus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Usual Size:
To 50cm although common to
30cm
UK Record Weights from rod/line:
Shore:5lb 11oz 14dr
Boat:6lb 2oz 7dr
MAFF Minimum Size: Shore:30cms Boat:30cms
Identification:
Mackerel (Torpedo) Shaped. The
back markings are black oblique to near vertical lines, with hardly any
undulating and the belly area is unmarked. No swim bladder. 11/13 dorsal spines.
Breeding:
Egg
dispersal. In the Eastern Atlantic spawning takes place from May to June off the
Southern English coasts. The females are mature at 2/3 years old which equates
to a size of approximately 34cm. Between 200/450,000 eggs are laid in each
spawning season.
Habitat:
Most
abundant in cold and temperate shelf waters. Over winter in deep waters and then
migrate shoreward in the spring when the water temperatures reach between
11/14ºC. It would appear that our Eastern Atlantic population has no inter-mix
with the Western Atlantic populations.
Food:
Cannibalistic,
and small fry of numerous species
Range:
For the
Eastern Atlantic from Iceland south to the north coast of
Africa.