King Mackerel Family Scombridae, MACKERELS
and TUNAS |
| Description: color of back iridescent bluish green; sides silvery, streamlined body with tapered head; no black pigment on front of dorsal fin; lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin; young fish often have yellow spots like those of the Spanish mackerel. Similar Fish: cero, S. regalis; Spanish mackerel, S. maculatus. Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE, occasionally taken from piers running into deep water. Size: common to 20 pounds. Remarks: schooling fish that migrates fom south waters in winter to more northerly waters in spring; Gulf population thought to be separate from Atlantic population; spawns in midsummer OFFSHORE; feeds on small fish and squid.
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