41 MALAYAN FISHES. 



MACKERELS, TUNNIES, ETC. 



(SCOMBRIDAE.) 



The fishes of the " Mackerel "' family are pelao-ic forms, abun- 

 dant in all the seas of the tropical and temperate zones. They 

 travel about in shoals, spawn in the open sea, but periodical!}' ap- 

 proach the shore in pursuit of other fi.^hes on which they feed. 



Our most important local members of this family are the 

 Pelata (Siamese pla thu) (Scomber microlepidofiis) , the Tong- 

 kol {Tlnjnnus tliunnina) and the Tenggiri (Cyhium spp.). 



The Pelata is a fish of great commercial importance in Siam 

 and on the East Coast, where it is extensively salted and dried ^or 

 export. 



The Tongkol is the IMalay generic term for the Tunny and, 

 I believe, for the Bonito also. These fish gives excellent sport when 

 they are on the feed but often one sees a school of these fish jump- 

 ing and disporting themselves, and on such occasions they seem to 

 disdain the bait which is " trolled " past them. 



The Tenggiri is, in my opinion, the best fisli in our waters. 

 The best iboth from a sportiuig and from an edible point of view, but 

 I may be prejudiced in it^^ favour because I have had more sport 

 with this fish tlian with any other. Seale^ gives corroborative 

 evidence as to its edible qualities as follows, " In this family is 

 the tanguingue, which is a true Spanish Mackerel. By many 

 people this is regarded as the finest food fish in the Philippine 

 waters." 



A recent visitor to Singapore from Queensland told me that 

 he had had great sport with these fish on the Barrier Eeef and that 

 they attained a weight of 100 pounds. 



The big fish stay out in deep water and the be-t time to take 

 them is during the IST. E. monsoon. The best bait is a whole fish 

 about 8 or 9 inches long, and at least 100 or 150 yards of line should 

 be run off the reel, so as to keep the bait a long way astern as you 

 sail along in a good breeze. 



When making a passage in a heavy sea with no time for rod 

 fishing we used to boom out as many as five brass wire lines and 

 perhaps have two or three fish on at once averaging 20 pounds or 

 so. 



When our fisheries are better understood and depots with re- 

 frigerating plant are established on the islands off the East coast, 

 more attention will certainly be paid to our oceanic fishes. Sea 

 going fishing smacks should do a good trade with catches of Bonito, 

 Tunny and Spanish mackerel. 



One of the Spanish mackerels in America is one of the mosit 

 highly esteemed of all American fishes and always commands a high 

 price. Stead mentions that the catch in 1897 amounted to 

 1,183,456 pounds, wortth nearly £14,000. 



1 Fishery resources of the Philippines. 



