The Spanish mackerel is a popular gamefish and a good food fish of the Scombridae family.
Identification
The slender, elongated body of the Spanish mackerel is silvery with a bluish or olive-green back. There are 16 to 18 spines in the first dorsal fin, 15 to 18 soft rays in the second dorsal fin—with 8 to 9 finlets behind it, and 13 to 15 gill rakers on the first arch. The lateral line curves evenly downward to the base of the tail.The Spanish mackerel resembles both the cero mackerel and the king mackerel, but it has bronze or yellow spots without stripes; the cero mackerel has both spots and stripes of bronze or yellow, whereas the king mackerel has neither.
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The Spanish mackerel lacks scales on the pectoral fins, which further distinguishes it from both the cero and the king mackerel, which have scales on them. Also, the front part of the first dorsal fin on the Spanish mackerel is black, whereas it is more blue on the king mackerel, and the second dorsal fin and the pectoral fins may be edged in black.
Size/Age
The Spanish mackerel grows to 37 inches and 11 pounds, averaging 1.5 to 3 feet and 2 to 3 pounds. The all-tackle word record is a 13-pounder taken off North Carolina in 1987. Fish older than 5 years are rare, although some have been known to reach 8 years.Spawning behavior
Spanish mackerel are able to reproduce by the second year and spawn offshore from April through September.Food and feeding habits
Spanish mackerel feed primarily on small fish, as well as on squid and shrimp; they often force their prey into crowded clumps and practically push the fish out of the water as they feed.Other Names
Atlantic Spanish mackerel; Portuguese: sororoca; Spanish: carite, pintada, sierra, sierra pintada.Distribution
In the western Atlantic, there are two separate populations of Spanish mackerel: one in the Gulf of Mexico and the other along the main western Atlantic coast. The former extends from the Gulf of Mexico throughout Florida waters to the Yucatán, and the latter extends from Miami to the Chesapeake Bay and occasionally to Cape Cod. They are absent from the Bahamas and the Antilles, except around Cuba and Haiti, but are abundant around Florida.Habitat
Occurring inshore, near shore, and off-shore, Spanish mackerel prefer open water but are sometimes found over deep grassbeds and reefs, as well as in shallow-water estuaries.They form large, fast-moving schools that migrate great distances along the shore, staying in waters with temperatures above 68°F; these schools occur off North Carolina in April, off the Chesapeake Bay in May, and off New York in June, returning south in the winter.
