Spanish mackerel 



Scomberomorus maculatus 

 Adult 



10 cm 



(fromGoode 1884) 



Common Name: Spanish mackerel 



Scientific Name: Scomberomorus maculatus 



Other Common Names: mackerel, horse mackerel, 



bay mackerel, spotted mackerel, Spaniard, spotted 



cybium (Earll 1883, Pew 1966); thazard tachete 



(French); carite pintado, sierra (Spanish) (Fischer 1 978, 



NOAA1985). 



Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 



Phylum: Chordata 



Class: Osteichthyes 



Order: Perciformes 



Family: Scombridae 



Value 



Commercial : This is a prized commercial species. 

 Most fishing occurs along the south Atlantic coast from 

 Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to the Florida Keys, and 

 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico from the Florida Keys to 

 the Mississippi River delta (Moe 1972, Dwinell and 

 Futch 1973, Powell 1975, Trent and Anthony 1978, 

 Sutherland and Fable 1 980, Johnson 1 981 , Fable et al. 

 1987, Palko et al. 1987). The fishery is seasonal, and 

 peak harvest periods vary in different areas of the Gulf 

 (Collette and Nauen 1983, Klima pers. comm.). Com- 

 mercial landings for the Gulf of Mexico in 1992 were 

 804.2 mt with 1 52.4 mt landed to 4.8 km offshore.and 

 651 .8 mt landed 4.8 to 322 km offshore (Newlin 1 993). 

 Florida produced nearly 90% of the commercial catch 

 with landings totaling about 709 mt in 1 992. The peak 

 harvest in Florida has historically been from December 

 through February (Klima pers. comm.). However, the 

 commercial fishery in Florida has been practically 

 eliminated by a recent net ban (DeVries pers. comm.). 

 Landings in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana for 

 1 992 were 66.7, 2.3, and 26.3 mt respectively (Newlin 

 1993), while annual landings in Texas have been less 



than 907 kg (Dwinell and Futch 1973, Hoese and 

 Moore 1977, Trent and Anthony 1978). The principal 

 commercial gear used has been run-around gill nets 

 with some hook and line catches, but in Mississippi 

 most of the commercial harvest comes as bycatch from 

 shrimping trawls in offshore waters (Klima 1 959, Trent 

 and Anthony 1 978, Sutherland and Fable 1 980, Benson 

 1982). In U.S. federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, 

 regulations have been enacted pertaining to minimum 

 size, gear type, harvest quotas, and closed season 

 (GMFMC 1 996a). Most of the catch is marketed fresh, 

 frozen, or smoked (Collette and Nauen 1983, Shipp 

 1986). The flesh becomes rancid very quickly, and is 

 often treated with antioxidants and EDTA to prolong 

 shelf life. 



Recreational : Spanish mackerel is an important game 

 fish along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. 

 It is prized for both its fighting ability and high food 

 quality (Klima 1959, Moe 1972, Dwinell and Futch 

 1 973, Powell 1 975, Hoese and Moore 1 977, Trent and 

 Anthony 1978, Sutherland and Fable 1980, Johnson 

 1981, Benson 1982, Fable et al. 1987). The most 

 productive recreational fishing area is along the Atlan- 

 tic coast from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to the 

 Florida Keys, followed by the eastern Gulf of Mexico 

 from the Florida Keys to the Mississippi River, and then 

 from the Mississippi River to the Mexican border in 

 waters <4.8 km from shore. The principal fishing 

 method is hook and line while trolling or drifting, with 

 some catches in Florida made from boats, piers, jetties, 

 and beaches by casting, live bait fishing, jigging, and 

 drift fishing (Trent and Anthony 1978, Palko et al. 

 1987). Regulations for recreational fishing of this 

 species vary among the Gulf states (GSMFC 1993). 

 Minimum length and bag limits have also been enacted 



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