Editing Atlantic mackerel

{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Atlantic mackerel
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Collette, B. |author2=Boustany, A. |author3=Carpenter, K.E. |author4=Di Natale, A. |author5=Fox, W. |author6=Graves, J. |author7=Juan Jorda, M. |author8=Kada, O. |author9=Nelson, R. |author10=Oxenford, H. |date=2011 |title=''Scomber scombrus'' |volume=2011 |page=e.T170354A6764313 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T170354A6764313.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = A mackerel.jpg
| taxon = Scomber scombrus
| display_parents=2
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| synonyms = ''Scomber scomber'' <small>[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]</small><br/>
''Scomber glauciscus'' <small>[[Peter Simon Pallas|Pallas]], 1814</small><br/>
''Scomber vernalis'' <small>Mitchill, 1815</small><br/>
''Scomber vulgaris'' <small>[[John Fleming (naturalist)|Fleming]], 1828</small><br/>
''Scomber vulgaris'' <small>Wood, 1837</small><br/>
''Scomber punctatus'' <small>[[Jonathan Couch|Couch]], 1849</small><br/>
''Scomber scriptus'' <small>Couch, 1863</small>
}}

The '''Atlantic mackerel''' ('''''Scomber scombrus'''''), also known as '''Boston mackerel''', '''Norwegian mackerel''', '''Scottish mackerel''' or just '''mackerel''', is a [[species]] of [[mackerel]] found in the [[temperate]] waters of the [[Mediterranean Sea]], the [[Black Sea]], and the northern [[Atlantic Ocean]], where it is extremely common and occurs in huge shoals in the [[pelagic zone#Epipelagic (sunlight)|epipelagic zone]] down to about {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures.

The Atlantic mackerel's body is elongate, steel-blue marked with wavy black lines dorsally and silvery-white ventrally, its snout long and pointed. It possesses two spiny dorsal fins, which are spaced far apart, two pectoral fins, and small caudal and anal fins, also spaced far apart. 4–6 dorsal finlets and 5 anal finlets are typical among members of this species. The fish's body tapers down its length, ending with a large tail fin. Typical size for a mature fish is {{convert|30|cm|ft|abbr=on}}, but individuals have been caught as large as {{convert|60|cm|ft|abbr=on}}. The maximum published weight is {{convert|3.4|kg|lbs|abbr=on}}. Reproduction, which is [[oviparous]], occurs near the shore in the spring and summer, during which a female can produce as many as 450,000 eggs. Juveniles reach sexual maturity at around 2 years of age and can live to be 17.

A highly commercial species, the Atlantic mackerel is sought after for its meat, which is strong in flavor and high in oil content and omega-3 fatty acids among other nutrients. Nearly 1 million tonnes of Atlantic mackerel are caught each year globally, the bulk of which is sold fresh, frozen, smoked, or canned. Despite its highly commercial status, the Atlantic mackerel is listed as [[Least Concern]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) and global catch has remained sustainable.

==Taxonomy and phylogeny==
The Atlantic mackerel was first [[scientific description|described]] in 1758 by [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[zoologist]] [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his [[10th edition of Systema Naturae]]. Linnaeus gave it the scientific name ''Scomber scomber'' from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''skombros'' meaning "tunny" or "mackerel". Because of its wide distribution, the Atlantic mackerel was independently described 6 more times by 5 different scientists between 1814 and 1863. Its [[specific name (zoology)|specific name]] was later changed to ''scombrus'' by B. B. Collette and C. E. Nauen in 1983.<ref name=fishbase>{{FishBase |genus=Scomber |species=scombrus |month=February |year=2017}}</ref> It is differentiated from its [[congener (biology)|congeners]] in a number of ways, the first being the absence of a [[swim bladder]]. Its [[palatine bone]] is also wider than other members of its genus and its [[otolith]] is oval-shaped where its congeners' are rectangular.<ref name=abdussamad>{{cite journal |last=Abdussamad |first=E. M. |author2=Sandhya Sukumaran |author3=Arun K. O. Ratheesh |author4=K. Mohamed Koya |author5=K. P. S. Koya |author6=Prathibha Rohit |author7=Sally Reader |author8=K. V. Akhilesh |author9=A. Gopalakrishnan |title=''Scomber indicus'', a new species of mackerel (Scombridae: Scombrini) from the Eastern Arabian Sea |journal=Indian Journal of Fisheries |year=2016 |volume=63 |issue=3 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.21077/ijf.2016.63.3.59184-01 |url=http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/11198/1/A%20Gopalakrishnan_2016_IJF_63.3_Scomber%20indicus.pdf|doi-access=free }}</ref>

In the eastern Atlantic Ocean there are three [[Fish stocks|stocks]] differentiated by location and time at which spawning occurs, but studies have not found any distinct genetic differences between these populations. [[Species complex|Genetic differences]] only start to appear at the [[wiktionary:transatlantic|transatlantic]] scale, a fact supported by a lack of migration between western and eastern Atlantic populations, whereas eastern Atlantic stocks are known to converge in certain locations like the [[Norwegian Sea]] and [[North Sea]].<ref name=nesbo>{{cite journal |last=Nesbo |first=Camilla L. |author2=Eli K. Rueness |author3=Svein A. Iversen |author4=Dankert W. Skagen |author5=Kjetill S. Jakobsen |title=Phylogeography and population history of Atlantic mackerel (''Scomber scombrus'' L.): a genealogical approach reveals genetic structuring among the eastern Atlantic stocks |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B |year=2000 |volume=267 |issue= 1440|pages=281–292 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2000.0998 |pmid=10714883 |pmc=1690521 }}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:FMIB 33370 Scombrus; Maguereau; a Mackarel.jpeg|thumb|left|An 1835 illustration of the Atlantic mackerel.]]

The Atlantic mackerel has an elongate, fusiform body with a long, pointed snout. The eyes are large and covered by an adipose eyelid, while the teeth are small, sharp, and conical. Scales are also small, with the exceptions of those immediately [[posterior (anatomy)|posterior]] to the head and around the [[pectoral fin]]s. These small scales give the Atlantic mackerel a velvet-like feel. The two [[dorsal fin]]s are large and spaced far apart. The second dorsal fin is typically followed by 5 dorsal finlets, though it can have 4 or 6. The [[anal fin]], which originates slightly behind the second dorsal fin, is similar to it in size and shape and is also succeeded by 5 [[finlet]]s. The fish's body tapers to a slim [[caudal peduncle]], the end of the fish to which the short but broad [[caudal fin|tail fin]] is attached.<ref name=gma>{{cite web |title=Mackerel (''Scomber scombrus'') |website=gma.org |publisher=Gulf of Maine Research Institute |url=http://www.gma.org/fogm/Scomber_scombrus.htm}}</ref> Its body is steel-blue [[dorsum (anatomy)|dorsally]] with wavy black lines running perpendicular to the fish's length. The rest of its body is silvery-white to yellow and may have darker splotches.<ref name=fao>{{cite web |title=Scomber scombrus |website=FAO.org |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2473/en |access-date=19 February 2017}}</ref> It can reach sizes of up to {{convert|60|cm|in|abbr=on}} and has a common length of {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Its maximum published weight is {{convert|3.4|kg|lbs|abbr=on}}.<ref name=fishbase/>

==Distribution and habitat==
The Atlantic mackerel's native range in the western Atlantic extends from [[Labrador]], Canada to [[Cape Lookout, North Carolina]]. In the eastern Atlantic, it can be found from [[Iceland]] and [[Norway]] to as far south as [[Mauritania]]. It is also found in the [[Mediterranean]], [[Black Sea|Black]], and [[Baltic Sea]]s.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Its [[latitude|latitudinal]] range is [[70th parallel north|70°N]]-[[25th parallel north|25°N]] and its [[longitude|longitudinal]] range is [[77th meridian west|77°W]]-[[42nd meridian east|42°E]].<ref name=fishbase/> Its preferred water temperature is above {{convert|8|C|F}}, but Atlantic mackerel are common in waters as cold as {{convert|7|C|F}} and have been found, albeit rarely, in {{convert|4.5|C|F}} waters.<ref name=sette2/> The Atlantic mackerel's common depth range extends from the surface to  {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but individuals can be found as deep as {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=fishbase/>

Atlantic mackerel are migratory fish, spending the spring and summer closer to shore about {{convert|32|-|161|km|mi|abbr=on}} out, with juveniles moving closer in to shore than adults. Occasionally, fish will even enter harbors, and those that do are usually juveniles. In the fall and winter they move farther out and farther south to the warmer waters on the edge of the [[continental shelf]]. They first come in to land in North America in April at the southern end of their range, but are found along the coast through their entire range by July. They start moving back out to sea again in September and are completely gone from the coast by December. Food availability increases greatly during the summer, and fish reach a peak for fat tissue in August, a mere four months after their lowest point in April.<ref name=sette2>{{cite journal |last=Sette |first=Oscar Elton |title=Biology of the Atlantic mackerel (''Scomber scombrus'') of North America: Part II-Migrations and Habits |journal=Fishery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service |volume=51 |year=1952 |pages=251–358 |url=http://www.fisherybulletin.nmfs.noaa.gov/51-1/sette.pdf |access-date=2017-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117212945/http://fisherybulletin.nmfs.noaa.gov/51-1/sette.pdf |archive-date=2017-01-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Biology and ecology==
The Atlantic mackerel is an active, fast-moving fish that must keep in constant motion to bring in enough oxygen to survive. It swims using short movements of the rear of its body and the caudal fin. Unlike other mackerel, Atlantic mackerel do not leap out of the water unless attempting to escape a predator.<ref name=gma/> They form large schools, consisting of individuals of the same relative size, near the ocean surface during all seasons but winter. Because larger fish have a greater ratio of muscle mass to surface area, schools of larger fish are able to swim more quickly than schools made up of smaller individuals.<ref name=sette1/>

===Feeding===
When feeding on larger prey, schools tend to break down into shoals and individuals find food on their own. When consuming plankton, however, Atlantic mackerel form tight aggregations, open their mouths as wide as possible, and extend their [[operculum (fish)|operculums]], swimming in a tightly packed school that acts like a series of miniature tow nets. Spaced only about the diameter of a single fish's mouth apart, this formation greatly reduces the ability of plankton to evade capture, as a plankton darting out of the way of one fish is likely to end up in the jaws of another. [[Copepod]]s make up the majority of the Atlantic mackerel's diet, ''[[Calanus finmarchicus]]'' being the most abundant.<ref name=sette2/>
[[File:Atlantic_mackerel_(Scomber_scombrus).jpg|thumb|Atlantic mackerel close-up]]
[[File:Makrill (Scomber scombrus) Öresund-2017.jpg|thumb|Atlantic mackerel.]]

===Life history===
Like other mackerels, reproduction in the Atlantic mackerel is oviparous. Spawning occurs day or night in the spring and summer months, primarily within {{convert|48|km|mi|abbr=on}} of shore, though it can occur as far out as {{convert|130|km|mi|abbr=on}}. A single female can spawn as many as 450,000 eggs in a spawning season. Eggs mature in batches over the course of a week and are [[pelagic]] once released, remaining within {{convert|15|-|25|m|ft|abbr=on}} of the surface. Time to hatching is dependent on the water temperature, and ranges from 2 days at {{convert|21|C|F}} to 8.5 days at {{convert|10|C|F}}. Most eggs are spawned in waters {{convert|9|-|12|C|F}} in temperature, and as such the majority of eggs hatch in about a week. Eggs are anywhere from {{convert|1.0|-|1.3|mm|in|abbr=on}} in size, trending towards smaller as the spawning season goes on. Larvae undergo three [[Juvenile fish|developmental stages]]: the yolk sac stage, the larval stage, and the post-larval stage. Larvae are {{convert|3|mm|in|abbr=on}} when they hatch and feed on the yolk sac for about 5 days. During the larval stage, which lasts about a month, larvae grow to {{convert|10|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length. They are [[Ichthyoplankton|largely incapable of swimming]], instead floating with the current. During the post-larval stage, which occurs over the next 40 days and during which the fish reaches {{convert|50|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length, [[Diel vertical migration|it swims to the surface at night and down to deeper waters during the day.]] At the end of the post-larval stage, juveniles resemble an adult mackerel in all but size. Schooling behavior occurs around this time.<ref name=sette1/>

[[Sexual maturity]] is reached at around 2 years of age, though some fish may reproduce a season earlier or a season later. Though some fish are sexually mature at {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, even by {{convert|34|cm|in|abbr=on}} only about half of females will be ready to reproduce. At {{convert|37|cm|in|abbr=on}}, 90% of fish are capable of reproduction.<ref name=sette1>{{cite journal |last=Sette |first=Oscar Elton |title=Biology of the Atlantic Mackerel (''Scomber scombrus'') of North America: Part I:Early life history, including the growth, drift, and mortality of the egg and larval populations |journal=Fishery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service |volume=50 |year=1943 |pages=149–237 |url=http://www.fisherybulletin.nmfs.noaa.gov/50-1/sette.pdf }}</ref> An Atlantic mackerel can live for up to 17 years and attain a length of {{convert|60|cm|in|abbr=on}} and a weight of {{convert|3.4|kg|lbs|abbr=on}}.<ref name=fishbase/>

==Human interaction==

{{nutritional value
| name           = Atlantic mackerel, raw
| kJ             = 858
| water          = 64 g
| protein        = 19 g
| fat            = 14 g
| carbs          = 0 g
| iron_mg        = 1.63
| calcium_mg     = 12
| magnesium_mg   = 76
| phosphorus_mg  = 217
| potassium_mg   = 314
| zinc_mg        = 0.63
| vitA_ug        = 50
| vitD_iu        = 643
| choline_mg     = 65
| source_usda    = 1
}}
[[File:Atlantic mackerel, capture production, million tonnes, 1950-2022.svg|thumb|Global capture production of Atlantic mackerel (''Scomber scombrus'') in million tonnes from 1950 to 2022, as reported by the [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production |url=https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/collection/global_production?lang=en |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)}}</ref>]]
The Atlantic mackerel is of commercial importance to many Atlantic fisheries, which catch it with [[purse seine]]s, [[trawl]]s, gill and trammel nets, and trolling lines. Global annual catch is typically in the range of 1 million tonnes, though a 50% spike in 2014 put this number at nearly 1.5 million tonnes. The [[United Kingdom]] and [[Norway]] bring in the most Atlantic mackerel, with annual catches coming in at over 166,000 tonnes and 160,000 tonnes respectively.<ref name=fao/> In 2022 alone, Norwegian fisheries exported an estimated 6.3 billion Norwegian Kroner worth of the Atlantic mackerel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nøkkeltall |url=https://nokkeltall.seafood.no/ |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=nokkeltall.seafood.no}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frantzen |first=Sylvia |last2=Duinker |first2=Arne |last3=Julshamn |first3=Kåre |last4=Nøttestad |first4=Leif |last5=Maage |first5=Amund |date=2024-03-01 |title=Levels of mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead in Northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) from northern European waters |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X24000377 |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |volume=200 |pages=116060 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116060 |issn=0025-326X|doi-access=free }}</ref> The majority of the mackerel caught by Norwegian fisheries is exported to countries including China, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frantzen |first=Sylvia |last2=Duinker |first2=Arne |last3=Julshamn |first3=Kåre |last4=Nøttestad |first4=Leif |last5=Maage |first5=Amund |date=2024-03-01 |title=Levels of mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead in Northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) from northern European waters |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X24000377 |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |volume=200 |pages=116060 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116060 |issn=0025-326X|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Small pelagics: Lower mackerel and herring quotas |url=https://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/market-reports/resource-detail/en/c/1633841/ |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=www.fao.org}}</ref> There are three stocks in the eastern Atlantic: one in the south, one in the west, and another in the [[North Sea]]. There are two populations in the Mediterranean, one in the east and one in the west.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> In the western Atlantic there are two stocks, one in the north and one in the south,<ref name=sette2/> for which assessments are, according to the IUCN, "highly uncertain".<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

===As food===
{{Main|Mackerel as food}}
Atlantic mackerel outer meat is red meat while inner meat is white, with a strong taste desirable to some consumers. They are sold fresh, frozen, smoked, salted, filleted, or as steaks. The fish is extremely high in oil content, [[vitamin B6|vitamin B{{sub|6}}]], [[vitamin B12|vitamin B{{ssub|12}}]], [[selenium]], [[Niacin (nutrient)|niacin]],<ref name="fishchoice">{{cite web |title=Atlantic Mackerel |publisher=FishChoice Inc. |website=fishchoice.com |date=16 May 2013 |url=http://www.fishchoice.com/buying-guide/atlantic-mackerel}}</ref> and [[omega 3]], a class of [[fatty acid]]s, containing nearly twice as much of the latter per unit weight as [[salmon]]. Unlike the [[king mackerel|King]] and [[Atlantic Spanish mackerel|Spanish species]], Northern Atlantic mackerel are very low in mercury, and can be eaten at least twice a week according to [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] guidelines.<ref name="fda">{{cite web |title=Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012) |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration |website=fda.gov |access-date=20 July 2017 |url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm115644.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329110132/http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm115644.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 29, 2013}}</ref><ref name="inchem">{{cite web |title=Evaluation of Mercury, Lead, Cadmium and the Food Additives Amaranth Diethylpyrocarbonate, and Octyl Gallate |publisher=World Health Organization |url=http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v004je02.htm}}</ref>

===Conservation===
Despite its commercial status, the Atlantic mackerel was assessed to be of Least Concern by the IUCN in 2011. Its abundance and extensive range combined with a cyclical increase/decrease in catch mean that it is not currently in danger of going extinct. The IUCN did recommend careful monitoring, however, especially as the effects of [[climate change]] may impact population size and distribution. In the northeastern Atlantic, several countries impose minimum landing sizes. In the [[European Union]] this size is {{convert|18|cm|in|abbr=on}}, [[Ukraine]] {{convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on}}, [[Turkey]] {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}}, [[Romania]] {{convert|23|cm|in|abbr=on}},<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> and Canada {{Convert|26.4|cm|in|abbr=on}}.{{Cn|date=March 2024}}

===Symbol===
The Spanish word for mackerel ({{lang|es-EA|caballa}}) is a colloquial demonym for the people of [[Ceuta]], Spain.<ref name="ElFaro">{{cite news |title=Caballas |url=https://elfarodeceuta.es/caballas-4/ |access-date=22 February 2022 |work=El Faro de Ceuta |date=15 May 2011 |language=es-EA}}</ref><ref name="DRAE">{{cite book |title=caballa {{!}} Diccionario de la lengua española |date=2021 |publisher=RAE-ASALE |edition=23.5 |url=https://dle.rae.es/caballa#T3UPRUS |access-date=22 February 2022 |language=es}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite magazine|last=Donovan|first=Moira|title=Holy Mackerel, Where'd You Go?|url=https://hakaimagazine.com/features/holy-mackerel-whered-you-go/|date=18 January 2022|magazine=Hakai Magazine|language=en}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Scomber scombrus|''Scomber scombrus''}}
* {{Wikispecies inline|Scomber scombrus|''Scomber scombrus''}}
* [http://seafood.edf.org/mackerel EDF Report on Mackerel] – Atlantic Mackerel conservation and contamination report

{{mackerel}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q30153}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:mackerel, Atlantic}}
[[Category:Scomber|Atlantic mackerel]]
[[Category:Smoked fish]]
[[Category:Cold water fish]]
[[Category:Fish of the North Atlantic]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1758|Atlantic mackerel]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus|Atlantic mackerel]]