Crowding-induced stress gives mackerel the blues

When mackerel die, they change color from green to blue. After seeing that live mackerel can also turn blue, a team of researchers wondered if this was because the fish were under stress. Their concerns proved to be correct.

Study dives deep into saving endangered shark

Mackerel sharks are large, fast-swimming apex predators that include Hollywood heavy-hitters like great whites (Jaws), mako (Deep Blue Sea) and the now-extinct Megalodon (The Meg). One of the smallest mackerel sharks is the ...

Fishing clubs get behind citizen science fish toxin project

Northern NSW fishing clubs are encouraging their members to become citizen scientists as part of the first ever study into the presence of toxins (CTXs), that cause the serious seafood-borne illness ciguatera fish poisoning ...

EU, Iceland and Nordic mackerel quota talks break down

Negotiations over mackerel fishing quotas have fallen apart, Iceland said Thursday, extending a dispute dubbed "the mackerel war" that has been a thorny issue in the country's EU membership bid.

EU urges quick fix to Iceland 'mackerel war'

European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso used a first meeting Tuesday with new Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson to urge an end to the David & Goliath "mackerel war" pitting the EU against its north ...

Studying the Noble King Mackerel

They are sometimes called "smokers," due to the speed at which a fishing line zips out the reel and "smokes" after they hit on the bait.

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Mackerel

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus), enter bays and can be caught near bridges and piers. Common features of mackerel are a slim, cylindrical shape (as opposed to the tunas which are deeper bodied) and numerous finlets on the dorsal and ventral sides behind the dorsal and anal fins. The scales are extremely small, if present. A female mackerel lays about one million eggs at a time.

Shearwater, tuna, dolphins, whales, orca, seagulls, marlins, sharks, and humans may hunt mackerel. Mackerel are prized (and are highly harvested) for their meat, which is often very oily. They are known for their fighting ability, and are an important recreational and commercial fishery. The meat can spoil quickly, especially in the tropics, causing scombroid food poisoning—it must be eaten on the day of capture, unless properly refrigerated or cured. For this reason, mackerel is commonly salt-cured sushi. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council king mackerel is contaminated with high levels of mercury.

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