Atlantic mackerel

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Onglets

Description

Distinguishing features

The Atlantic mackerel, also known as the common mackerel, is a pelagic fish (living in the open sea) with a slender, streamlined body. It is easily recognized by its steel-blue back, marked with 23 to 33 dark, wavy stripes.

Its underside is uniformly silver. It has two well-separated dorsal fins and several small fins, called finlets, between the second dorsal fin and the crescent-shaped caudal fin.

Unlike many fish, it has no swim bladder, which means it must swim constantly to avoid sinking.

Reproduction

The Atlantic mackerel reproduces in spring and summer, when the water temperature reaches about 11 to 14 °C. Fertilization is external. Females can lay up to 500,000 eggs, which float freely in the water column.

The larvae hatch after a few days and drift with the plankton until they undergo metamorphosis.

Atlantic mackerel reaches sexual maturity at about 2 or 3 years.

Diet

The Atlantic mackerel is an opportunistic carnivore. In the first months of its life, it feeds mainly on zooplankton, such as copepods. As it grows, it adds small crustaceans, fish larvae, and sometimes small fish such as anchovies or sardines to its diet.

Hunting in schools increases its efficiency as a predator.

In winter, it fasts for several weeks, or even months.

Predators

Its main predators are large fish such as tuna, sharks, and halibut, as well as marine mammals like seals and toothed whales.

Seabirds, including gannets, may also catch young mackerel near the surface. They are also preyed upon by cod and squid.

The Atlantic mackerel is targeted by both recreational and commercial fisheries.

Habitat

The Atlantic mackerel lives in temperate waters on both sides of the North Atlantic: in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the coasts of New England, as well as from Norway to Morocco, including the Mediterranean.

It is found in coastal areas of the continental shelf, at depths of 20 to 250 metres. The species migrates seasonally—spending summers in northern waters to feed, and returning south in winter to spawn, preferring temperatures above 8 °C.

Ecology, behaviour

This is a gregarious species that forms large, highly mobile schools in the open sea. Its migratory behaviour is influenced by temperature and the availability of food.

Its streamlined body allows for fast, sustained swimming, keeping it suspended in the water.

Like other species in its family, the Atlantic mackerel has a network of fine blood vessels that enables heat exchange. The warmth generated by its deep muscles is redistributed throughout the body, allowing them to function efficiently even in cold water.

The Atlantic mackerel plays an ecological role as an intermediate link between plankton and large marine predators.

Mackerel fishing is also an important economic driver in several countries.

Recreational fishing remains accessible to enthusiasts, despite the commercial closure put in place to protect the stock. These measures aim to reduce pressure on a key species in the marine ecosystem, whose population has been in decline for more than a decade.

French name

Maquereau bleu

Scientific name

Scomber scombrus

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Osteichthyes (bony fish)

Order

Perciformes

Family

Scombridae

Size

Average length: 36 cm

Weight

Average: 0.5 kg

Life span

More than 15 years

Status

Common species; fished commercially.

At the Biodôme

The Atlantic mackerel swims continuously in the deep bay pool at the heart of the Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem. It often swims alongside striped bass and American shad, which share similar habits and a tendency to form schools.

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