Read below and learn more about the Spanish Mackerel!
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Spanish Mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus
Florida State Record: 12 lbs, Ft. Pierce
IGFA World Record: 13 lbs, North Carolina
Spanish mackerel belong to the Scombridae family which includes tunas, bonitos and other mackerel species. The scientific name for this species, Scomberomorus maculatus can be broken down into the Latin “scromber” meaning mackerel, the Greek “moros” meaning silly and the Greek “maculatus” which refers to the fish’s patterning. There are more than a dozen mackerel species that belong to the Scomberomorus genus with two others, the cero and king mackerel inhabiting the waters off the coast of Florida. When these 3 mackerels are caught and laid next to each other it is easy to identify each species however when viewed alone they can often become misidentified. Spanish mackerel have a black portion on their first dorsal fin, bronze spot patterning throughout the side of their body and a lateral line that gently slopes, this species has a max size of about 3 feet. The cero mackerel also have a black portion on their first dorsal fin; however, along with the bronze blotched pattern, they also have a bronze stripe that runs the length of the body, this species also grows to about 3 feet. When juvenile the king mackerel have similar but less pronounced bronze splotches but as the fish ages, the pattern turns more faint and vertical bars start to appear. Distinguishing characteristics for the king mackerel include no black portion on the first dorsal and their lateral line has a sharp drop around the position where the second dorsal fin starts, the king mackerel can grow up to 90 pounds and almost 6 feet long!
Spanish mackerel inhabit the epipelagic region of the ocean meaning they utilize the water column and are found in depths where light still penetrates. This species primarily feeds on small fish and some crustaceans. These fish can be found on grass flats, beaches, passes and form large offshore schools. The range of the Spanish mackerel extends from Canada to the Yucatan Peninsula. These mackerel migrate in various directions during seasonal changes. Some groups of fish may move North in the summer and back to Florida in the winter while other populations go to West to Texas and Mexico and come back to Florida in the spring. Spanish mackerel spawn during various months depending on the population; however off the coast of Florida, spawning usually takes place between July – September. When these fish spawn, buoyant eggs are expelled and externally fertilized, hatch occurs within 25 hours and young Spanish can be in their larval form until they are about .5 inches in length. Spanish mackerel have been documented to live up to 11 years in age and grow rapidly until about 5-6 years of age. Size and age at sexual maturity depends on the population and I will link a paper below if you would like to read further! Fun fact about this species and other Atlantic mackerel is that they do not have a swim bladder! It is theorized that not having a swim bladder may help with accelerating through the water for these speedy fish.
The Spanish mackerel is a great seafood choice when considering sustainability, the species is well managed and populations are in healthy numbers. To read more about the sustainability of this species check out.
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For most current Spanish mackerel regulations please check out:
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To read more about the Spanish mackerel check out these pages:
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Cool age and growth paper
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Mackerel ID tips
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