Catch of the Day

calamari staek - Gordon's Bay Fisheries, Gordon's Bay, Western Cape, Helderberg, South Africa [© 2010 Paul Godard]

FISH & SEAFOOD : FRESH OR FROZEN

Gordon’s Bay Fisheries is a proud supplier of fresh fish as well as fresh and frozen seafood products.

Mackerel [fish]

Scomber japonicus

fish | mackerel | Scomber scombrus - Cocagne, Gondwana Studio, Gordon's Bay, Western Cape, Helderberg, South Africa [© 2010 Paul Godard]

Other Common Names

Mackerel/Chub Mackerel/Makriel (RSA), Spaanse Makreel (Dutch), Strumbulu/Scournou (France), Macarela/Salmonete (Spain)

Other Scientific Names

Scomber joanesaba, Pneumatophorus japonicus, Scomber capensis

Etymology

Scomber - A Greek name for mackerel - type fish
japonicus - Meaning of Japan, This fish was given a Japanese name because this species was for the first time describe from a specimen from Japanese waters.

Features

The Mackerel is a very striking fish, with a beautiful metallic blue - green upper body covered in black lines and a silver - white belly with small, delicate spots. Mackerel has a wide mouth, with very fine teeth in each jaw as well as on the roof of the mouth.

Size : 35 cm | Weight : 0.7 kg

Ecology

Mackerel is a pelagic fish that prefers temperate coastal waters and occurs to depths of about 200m. Their main diet consists of plankton such as; krill, mantis shrimps, crab larvae and small fish species, which they filter from the water.

Distribution

Abundant from Skeleton coast all the way to Maputo, where they are targeted by fishermen using hand - lines from vessels.

Regulation

Minimum legal size - None
Bag limit for recreational fishing - None