mackerel
Sign in to saveMackerel 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.
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Species
- Scombroid mackerels
- Scombrini, the true mackerels
- Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels
- Other mackerel
- Characteristics (Scombridae)
- Distribution
- Lifecycle and ecology (Scombroids)
- Fisheries
- Management and conservation
- As food
- References
- Further reading
- External links
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. 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.