Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos) > Scombrinae
Etymology: Scomber: Greek, skombros = tunny or mackerel, 1623 (Ref. 45335). More on author: Linnaeus.
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 1000 m (Ref. 54254), usually 0 - 200 m (Ref. 54254). Temperate, preferred 10°C (Ref. 107945); 70°N - 25°N, 77°W - 42°E
North Atlantic: including the Mediterranean.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 28.7, range 34 - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388); common length : 30.0 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 168); max. published weight: 3.4 kg (Ref. 9988); max. reported age: 17 years (Ref. 207)
Dorsal
spines
(total): 8 - 14;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 113;
Anal
spines: 1;
Anal
soft rays: 12 - 13;
Vertebrae: 31. This species has the following characters: no well developed corselet; interpelvic process small and single; anal fin spine conspicuous, joined to the fin by a membrane but clearly independent of it; anal fin origin opposite that of second dorsal fin; no swim bladder; first haemal spine anterior to first interneural process; 21-28 interneural bones under first dorsal fin; markings on back oblique to near vertical, with relatively little undulating; belly unmarked (Ref. 168).
Abundant in cold and temperate shelf areas, forms large schools near the surface. They overwinter in deeper waters but move closer to shore in spring when water temperatures range between 11° and 14°C. Mainly diurnal, it feeds on zooplankton and small fish. Eggs and larvae are pelagic (Ref. 6769). Batch spawner (Ref. 51846). The species is traded fresh, frozen, smoked and canned. Eaten fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988). Two stocks in north-east Atlantic: North Sea (east) and British Isles (west). North Sea stock decreased dramatically in the 1960's because of direct overfishing. Recruitment has been poor and unstable. After spawning, the adult feed very actively moving around in small shoals (Ref. 35388).
Collette, B.B. and C.E. Nauen, 1983. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. Rome: FAO. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(2):137 p. (Ref. 168)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5625 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00603 (0.00540 - 0.00673), b=3.07 (3.04 - 3.10), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (rm=0.33-0.56; K=0.23-0.27; tm=2-3; tmax=17; Fec=200,000).
Prior r = 0.48, 2 SD range = 0.23 - 1.00, log(r) = -0.73, SD log(r) = 0.37, Based on: 1 M, 16 K, 13 tgen, 1 tmax, 25 Fec records
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100) .
