Mackerel

Spanish mackerel (Scomber colias), also known as white mackerel or billfish, is a species of marine fish in the Scombridae family. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from the Bay of Biscay to Senegal, as well as in the Mediterranean and the southern Black Sea.

Physical characteristics

Spanish mackerel have a fusiform, bulging body, with a blue-green back and silvery belly. It generally measures between 25 and 40 cm in length. It is distinguished by two dorsal fins, the first of which is spiny, and ventral fins located far forward, almost level with the pectoral fins. A row of small fins extends from the second dorsal fin to the caudal fin, and a similar row extends from the anal fin.

Habitat and distribution

This species is found in the warm waters of the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the southern Black Sea. It is also found in the coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific region.

Spanish mackerel are generally found in schools in pelagic areas, close to the surface.

Fishing and use

Spanish mackerel is a popular species for both sport and commercial fishing. It is caught by machine gun, especially from the coast in September. Its energetic defense makes it a popular catch with fishermen. In the kitchen, its tasty flesh is eaten fresh, grilled, in escabeche or canned.

It is important to respect minimum catch sizes to ensure the sustainability of populations. In the Mediterranean, the legal catch size is set at 18 cm, while it is not specified for the Atlantic, Channel and North Sea. However, the biological size, i.e. the size at which 100 % of Spanish mackerel have reproduced, is 40 cm in the Mediterranean.