mackerel

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mackerel
Scomber scombrus.jpg

Mackerel ( Scomber scombrus )

Systematics
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Scombriformes
Family : Mackerel and tuna (Scombridae)
Subfamily : Scombrinae
Genre : Scomber
Type : mackerel
Scientific name
Scomber scombrus
Linnaeus , 1758

The mackerel ( Scomber scombrus , English Atlantic Mackerel ) is a schooling fish that lives in coastal waters . They eat plankton and fry from herrings , cod or sprats . Populations of the (Atlantic) mackerel occur in the coastal waters of North America , in the open north-east Atlantic, in the North Sea , in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea . Breeding areas of the North Sea population are in the Irish Sea and on the western edge of the Norwegian Channel . Mackerel can live to be 60 centimeters long, weigh up to 3.4 kg and reach 17 years old.

Way of life

Mackerel are counted among the tuna-like species . Unlike most fish, the mackerel does not have a swim bladder , which means that on the one hand it can change the water depth quickly without pressure equalization , but on the other hand it has to constantly provide buoyancy through movement in order not to sink. Mackerel are schooling fish and usually live near the surface of the water. During the winter rest period in deeper waters, they do not eat. From the beginning of spring, when the water temperatures are between 11 ° C and 14 ° C, they approach the shore and feed mainly on plankton . After the spawning season in late spring and summer, the need for food increases by leaps and bounds. In groups, they then hunt the brood of other fish species. The mackerel migrate over long distances together with the schools of herring.

Appearance

Because of its torpedo-like body shape, the mackerel is often referred to as the most elegant food fish . It is elongated and streamlined. Further characteristics are the strongly forked caudal fin, the shiny green-blue color and the horizontal stripes on the back. The green-blue color changes very quickly into a pure blue to blue-black after the mackerel dies. The flanks shimmer mother-of-pearl, the belly is white. The entire body is covered with solid small scales . As with all conspecifics of this genus, there are five individual small fins, called "rafts", behind the second dorsal and anal fin.

origin

As a rule, the mackerel occurs near the edge of the shelf at 0–1000 m, usually 200 m, depth. Although it prefers warm waters, it is one of the Atlantic fish. From the North Cape along the European Atlantic coast including the North Sea and western Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea , it occurs in various subspecies . It occurs in American waters, and in the subtropics it is joined by the related - somewhat smaller - Spanish mackerel .

Fishing methods and regulation

The main gear used in mackerel fishing is the pelagic trawl , which has been technically developed over the last few decades for use at greater depths. To protect juvenile fish, which are particularly important for long-term conservation, scientists recommend larger mesh sizes through which the juvenile fish can slip . At the end of October 1997, the EU ministers responsible for fisheries agreed on a new version of the regulation on technical measures to protect stocks. In the mackerel fishery, besides the trawl, seine nets and trolling are important. Since adult mackerel snatch at anything that glitters, the mackerel has also developed into a popular deep sea angler fish, which is of more sporting than economic importance.

The management of the national catch quotas and fishing effort as well as the granting of access authorizations for third country waters are the tasks of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE). In addition to the allocation of fishing opportunities, the utilization of the allocated fishing quotas and the allocated fishing effort is monitored. The implementation of technical innovations in the monitoring of fishing activities, such as the electronic logbook, electronic sales accounting and the satellite monitoring system are a further task. In addition, the BLE is responsible for keeping the German fisheries statistics and supplying data to national and international authorities and organizations.

Fish stocks

The stock calculation for the north-east Atlantic mackerel was revised in April 2019, time series were changed and reference values ​​were adjusted. The results also retrospectively show a better condition, the spawning biomass is completely in the green, but is steadily decreasing. The mackerel egg survey, which takes place every three years, was carried out in the first half of 2019; the results will be included in the stock calculation in October 2019. Even after the revised stock calculation, the fishing pressure is still too high. The increased production of offspring in recent years has allowed the stock to grow, but the catches were higher than scientifically recommended and the spawning biomass has been decreasing since 2015. The further development also depends on the strength of the next vintages. The current catches are only sustainable in the medium term if the offspring production remains above average. As in previous years, the problems of the fishing nations to agree on common management are critical.

etymology

The designation mackerel was from the Old French ( maquerel ) over the Middle Dutch ( makereel ) into Middle High German ( MACREL ) borrowed . The further derivation from Latin is controversial.

use

The mackerel is considered a good food fish that is equally suitable for steaming, roasting, grilling and smoking. The meat is reddish, aromatic and has a high fat content of 12 percent. The mackerel can be boned comparatively easily. It is often offered whole or as a fillet hot-smoked , or preserved in oil or tomato sauce as canned food . In parts of southern Germany and Austria it is also prepared as what is known as fish on a stick. The demand for mackerel in Germany fell from 2.0% (2014) to 0.9% (2017) to a market share (2018) of 0.6%.

Web links

Commons : Mackerel  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Mackerel  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Scomber scombrus Linnaeus. In: Froese, R. and D. Pauly, 2019, FishBase, fishbase.org, (08/2019). 2019, accessed October 15, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Mackerel. In: Barz K, Zimmermann C (Ed.): Fish stocks online. Thünen Institute for Baltic Sea Fisheries. 2019, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  3. ↑ fishing. In: Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), ble.de. 2019, accessed October 15, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b Stock data sheet Northeast Atlantic Mackerel. In: Barz K, Zimmermann C (Ed.): Fish stocks online. Thünen Institute for Baltic Sea Fisheries. 2019, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  5. ↑ See mackerel at Duden online
  6. ↑ In the English language mackerel is on the one hand a name for the fish, on the other hand the word was also used earlier for pimp , as in French maquereau . There was a popular belief that the mackerel helped the herring as a matchmaker during courtship . See The Oxford English Dictionary. Volume 9: Look - mouke. 2nd edition. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1989, ISBN 0-19-861221-4 , sv mackerel, n¹ and mackerel, n.²
  7. ↑ Fisch-Informationszentrum eV (ed.): Data and facts. Market shares 2015 ( Memento from December 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Stock overview of mackerel. In: Barz K, Zimmermann C (Ed.): Fish stocks online. Thünen Institute for Baltic Sea Fisheries. 2019, accessed October 14, 2019 .