Mackerel
Atlantic Mackerel - Image courtesy of Seafish Public Media Library
Atlantic Mackerel - Scientific name - Scomber scombrus
Conservation status
The sustainability of Mackerel is a mixed picture.
The IUCN list Atlantic Mackerel as of Least Concern on their Red List , though they do mention overfishing in the Western Atlantic and point out that the maximum age and size of Mackerel have all been declining in the Adriatic.
Likewise, the MCS advises: ‘Most mackerel sold in the UK needs improvement because of long-term overfishing’. Northeast Atlantic Mackerel have been declining since 2015 and are currently overfished. Some management measures are in place for N.E. Atlantic Mackerel, however, this stock is fished by numerous countries with no joint management plan to prevent overfishing.
Mackerel is generally caught by Midwater trawling and purse seine netting which are lower-impact fishing methods, with little bycatch and no habitat impacts.
The MCS suggest herring, anchovy and horse mackerel as being more sustainable alternatives.
They are classified as a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
Overview
Mackerel is the common name applied to a number of different species, mostly from the Scombridae family. They are pelagic, which means they live neither near the bottom of the sea or close to the shore. The Atlantic Mackerel is the type exclusively found in supermarkets or restaurants in the UK.
They are typically found all around the UK coast and fished in the North Eastern Atlantic and off the coast of Cornwall. They can be seen close inshore in summer months and further offshore during winter.
Mackerel are a streamlined, fast-swimming fish with a distinctive bluish-green back and silvery-white belly, marked by wavy black bars. They are known for their speed and manoeuvrability in the water and they are found in large shoals near the surface. They are mainly diurnal.
Atlantic Mackerel are prey to larger sea animals including whales and porpoises, sharks and bony fishes such as tunas, bonito, bluefish, and striped bass (IUCN)
Their diet tends to be zooplankton and small fish, particularly sand eels.
As they get older their diet changes and they feed on larger prey such as squids and fishes like hakes (IUCN).
Atlantic Mackerel can reach a total length of 70 cm and a weight of 3.2 kg (Navarro et al. 2012) although fish greater than 50 cm are uncommon. They live for 12 years in the East and 18 years in the West Atlantic.
Atlantic Mackerel have high commercial importance in the Northwest Atlantic, the Northeast Atlantic, and the Mediterranean Sea. It is also an important recreational species, fished with hook and line.
The IUCN refer to concerns around climate change In the northeast Atlantic stock, climate change may affect Mackerel.
Sources
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackerel
Wildlife Trust - https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/marine/fish-including-sharks-skates-and-rays/mackerel
Marine Conservation Society - https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/species/mackerel/?search=MACKEREL