194 FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



at times been greatly exceeded. Mr. M. B. Claussen, of New York, who has 

 angled much in the Beaufort region, reports that a few years ago he caught a 

 cero there that weighed 54 pounds. 



Opinion differs at Beaufort as to the quality of the fresh meat, but it has 

 not good keeping qualities and soon becomes soft even in ice; as a salted fish, 

 however, the cero is good. One of the most successful of the anglers who visit 

 Beaufort is Mr. McLung, of Tennessee, who regards the cero as one of the most 

 delicious of sea food fishes when eaten within a few hours after being caught, 

 but useless when shipped home, as the flesh losses its fine flavor and becomes 

 soft. 



The cero catch of North Carolina in 1902 was 45,380 pounds, for which the 

 fishermen received $455. Nearly this entire quantity is to be credited to the 

 seine fisheries in Carteret County. 



Genus SCOMBER Linnaeus. Common Mackerels. 



This genus contains a few moderate sized, wandering marine fishes char- 

 acterized by an elongate, fusiform body; slender caudal peduncle with 2 lateral 

 keels on each side; wide, weak mouth, with small teeth on jaws, vomer, and 

 palatines; maxillary slipping behind preorbital; very small scales; long and 

 slender gill-rakers; numerous pyloric coeca; small or deficient air-bladder; widely 

 separated dorsal fins, the anterior with 9 to 12 weak spines; 5 to 9 finlets behind 

 dorsal and anal fins; rather small forked caudal fin; and small pectoral and ven- 

 trals fins. Two American species, both widely distributed and valuable for 

 food. (Scomber, a name based on the ancient Greek name for the common 



mackerel.) 



166. SCOMBER SCOMBRUS Linnaeus. 

 "Round Mackerel"; Common MackereL 



Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, Systema Naturte, ed. x, 297, 1758; Atlantic Ocean. Jordan & Evermann, 1896, pi. 

 cxxxiii, fig. 363; .suuth to Cape Hatteras. Goode, 1884, 281 ; sounds about Cape Hatteras. 



Fig. 79. Common Mackerel. Scomber scombrus. 



Diagnosis. — Depth contained 4.5 times in length; head somewhat less than .25 length; 

 maxillary reaching vertical from anterior edge of orbit; eye .2 length of head and .66 snout; 

 snout long and pointed; air-bladder absent; dorsal rays xi + 12; the fins separated Jay a space 

 somewhat less than length of head; anal rays i,ll, opposite and similar to soft dorsal; 5 finlets 

 behind dorsal and anal fins; caudal fin deeply forked; pectorals about .5 length of head; ventrals 

 shorter. Color: above dark blue, with numerous transverse wavy, parallel black bars; below 

 glistening white; fins dusky, dorsals edged with white, {scombrus, ancient Mediterranean name 

 for the fish.) 



