Chub Mackerel

Fact File: Common Name(s): Chub Mackerel, sometimes referred to as Spanish Mackerel Scientific Name:Scomber japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782) Usual Size:To 50cm, although usual to 30cm UK Record Weights from rod/line: Shore:1lb 5oz 7dr Boat:1lb 2oz MAFF Minimum Size: Shore: Boat:

Identification: Mackerel shaped. Colour: Upper side, black with oblique lines, forming a zigzag and undulate.In Atlantic populations the belly may be marked with spotting or wavy broken lines. Swimbladder present. 8/10 dorsal spines. Breeding: Egg dispersal, which takes place in water temperatures of between 15 to 200C and the number of eggs is dependant on the weight of the female and equates to 250/300 per grm in weight, which means they can spawn between 100/400,000 eggs each season. Habitat: Primarily a coastal species from the surface down to depths of 300m Food: Small fry of numerous species. Range: In UK Waters unknown - a vagrant. Mainly in Eastern Atlantic waters from the Spanish Coast down the African coastline. Additional Notes: REFERENCES: FAO Species Catalogue 2 - Scombrids of The World - Collette/Nauen Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Whitehead, Bauchot, Hureau, Nielsen, Tortonese Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe - Wheeler

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