c) Mediterranean race : length from 10 Lo 12 inches; spawns in February and March. 



— western Mediterranean population; 



— eastern Mediterranean population; 



— Black Sea population. 



Mackerel swim in dense, sometimes enormous shoals that may be several miles long. As 

 they move around, they are pursued by numerous enemies, such as dolphins, tunny, swimming 

 crabs and sea-birds. They are voracious fishes, swallowing any prey within reach, mcludmg 

 their own young. But they also gorge themselves on planktonic organisms like diatoms, copepods 

 etc They keep within the waters of the oceanic transgressions. In winter they lie at a depth 

 of about 100 fathoms at the edge of the continental shelf. In spring, together with warm water 

 layers, they move, at about 5 to 10 fathoms below the surface, into the Celtic Sea, where they 

 spawn. When nearly a year old, the immature fishes move coastwards, and in July large num- 

 bers are caught along the Breton coasts. 



The American mackerel, which are particularly large fishes, spawn near Cape Hatteras m 

 April; off the coasts of New England in May; and near Nova Scotia in June. In the Mediterra- 

 nean where the spawning period is not related to the movements of the transgressions, this 

 takes place in February and March. 



After spawning, the remaining shoals of spent mackerel go m search of their food, moving 

 up as far as the Norwegian coast and the Irish Sea. On an average, the life span of the mackerel 

 is ten years, but may extend to 15 years. These fishes are of great economic importance and 

 when freshly caught are much appreciated. They are used in the canning industry, the imma- 

 ture fishes "being tinned like sardines and the adults prepared as fillets. Mackerel are also 



salted and smoked. i ■ i i 



In the coastal fishing fleet there are also a number of line fishermen; these laying trawl- 

 lines along the bottom in the evening and hauling them up in the morning. Rays and conger- 

 eels are particularly taken. During the day they catch sand-eels and silversides, with which 

 they bait their many hooks. Small trawlers ceaselessly scrape the bottom for plaice, sole and 

 other bottom-dwelling fishes. They do not move far from the coasts and take a fearful toll of 

 immature and young fishes in their close- meshed nets which allow nothing to escape. This 

 they do in spite of the regulations that have been laid down, regulations that are never observed 

 because there is no supervision. 



All along the coasts, in much smaller boats — in simple dinghies — fine seamen, often 

 helped by a ship's boy, spend the day at sea with their fishing-lines. Their intimate knowledge 

 of the rocks enables them to approach the breakers in search of excellent fishes. They know 

 where they will get bass. In the Mediterranean, they excel in catching surmullets. As soon 

 as they have caught a few fine fishes, including some for their family, they make for port and 

 offer their best fishes to the hotels. Then they go home to eat their fish stew. 



The bass (Morone labrax), called " wolf " in the Mediterranean, is an animal with a dark- 

 blue back, silvery flanks and belly. It may reach rather more than 3 feet in length. Although 

 it is a very good swimmer, it doesn't move very far, living in the coastal zone near surf-swept 

 rocks and in beds of the large seaweed, Laminaria. The flesh of the bass is remarkably good 

 and it is rightly considered as a luxury fish. 



The in-shore fishermen also bring back pollack and whiting-pout, which are small cod-like 

 fishes. The whiting-pout (Gadns hisciis) has a compressed body bearing three dorsal and two 

 anal fins and the lower jaw carries a long barbel. Its back is brownish-yellow and the belly 

 white. These fishes live on sandy, coastal grounds in waters with a temperature around 10° C. 

 and a salinity of 34 "/oo- Growth is rapid, a length of about 10 inches being reached after a year 

 and 13 34 inches at 2 years. But their life is short and they die towards an age of 3 or 4 years, 

 having spawned once or twice. The flesh of the whiting-pout is light and pleasant in taste 

 but it does not keep. It is found from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, where it becomes 

 sparse and is replaced by related species, the capelan. The pollack (Gadns pollachius), a 

 gadid without a barbel, ranges along the coasts from Norway to Spain. It enters estuaries 



