Spanish Mackerel

Quick Take

• Spanish mackerel herd their prey using a hunting technique that sounds more like a military tactic than a fish behavior. See their corralling strategy →
• These fish nearly vanished from the ocean entirely, and humans were the reason why. Explore overfishing history →
• A female Spanish mackerel's egg-laying capacity during spawning season is almost impossible to believe. Discover their egg production →
• Spanish mackerel are fast, and just how fast puts them in rare company among ocean predators. Check their swimming speed →

The Spanish mackerel is a popular catch for recreational and commercial fishing and is primarily found in large numbers off the coasts of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. These fish are easily distinguished by their elongated, streamlined silver bodies, with a greenish back and golden yellow oval spots scattered across each side. Spanish mackerels prefer swimming in large groups called schools and are fast swimmers.

Along the Atlantic coast, these fish spend the winter off Florida and migrate northward in spring and summer, while a separate Gulf group migrates along the coast of Mexico. However, various species occur all over the world. They are carnivores and typically prey on sardines, menhaden, and anchovies. However, they are also preyed upon by sharks, dolphins, and humans.

Spanish mackerels are sought after by commercial and sports fishers due to their delicious meat, which is easy to cook and versatile. These mackerels are divine grilled, fried, baked, and smoked. In addition, they are used raw in sushi in many countries, including Japan.

Three Amazing Spanish Mackerel Facts

• These fish are incredibly fast and can reach an average speed of 18 feet per second.
• Female Spanish mackerels can lay thousands of eggs at a time and between 500,000 and 1.5 million eggs throughout the spawning season.
• They like to swim in large schools for protection that can stretch up to 20 miles wide.

Classification and Scientific Name

Scientific names will vary depending on the species. For example, the Atlantic Spanish mackerel’s binomial name is Scomberomorus maculatus. It belongs to the order Scombriformes, consisting of 16 bony fish families.

Spanish mackerel are members of the Scombridae family, which includes well-known fish like tuna and bonitos. Additionally, this family contains some of the most popular sport and food fish. Additionally, Scombridae boasts some of the fastest fish in the world, like the bluefin tuna, which is among the largest bony fishes but is surpassed in weight by the ocean sunfish.

Appearance

While the various species differ in shape, coloration, and size, they generally have the same torpedo-shaped bodies with short finlets before their tail fins. Additionally, they have silver bodies with spots or stripes. They vary in size up to about 37 inches long and weigh between 1 and 13 pounds.

Behavior

These fish are generally found in large schools that measure around 20 miles wide. They hunt by forcing small schools of fish into tight groups at the water’s surface. Spanish mackerels are agile and fast swimmers, reaching average speeds of 18 feet per second. They are a migratory species and migrate north during spring to the northern regions of the Gulf of Mexico. Then, when fall arrives, they swim back to the eastern Gulf off South Florida and the western Gulf of Mexico.

Habitat

Spanish mackerel are found across the globe, with large populations off the Florida coast and the Gulf of Mexico. They typically inhabit shallow coastal waters and ocean floors. they usually live at depths of 20 to 40 feet but are often found at depths of up to 115 feet. While these mackerels mainly occur in open water, they have been found over reefs, deep seagrass beds, and shallow estuaries.

Diet

The Spanish mackerel usually preys on:

• Sardines
• Needlefish
• Herring
• Mullet
• Anchovies
• Menhaden
• Shrimp
• Squid

When hunting, they will force small schools of fish into tight groups at the surface of the water while feeding on them.

Predators and Threats

Spanish mackerels are preyed on by many predators depending on their location, including:

• Tuna
• Whales
• Dolphins
• Sharks
• Sea lions

However, their primary predators are dolphins and sharks. Humans pose a significant threat to Spanish mackerel, as overfishing of this species nearly led to their demise. Commercial overfishing of their prey species also poses a massive threat to their survival. In addition, pollution poses a significant threat to their population size. For now, they are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN’s Red List.

Spanish Mackerel Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

Spanish mackerel reach sexual maturity at the age of two. Additionally, they spawn from spring through summer, with peak spawning occurring from June through August. Spawning takes place in the Northern Hemisphere and occurs at night. However, the Atlantic Spanish mackerel prefers to spawn off the North Carolina and Virginia coasts and and prefers shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

Females lay their eggs in clumps throughout the spawning season and can produce between 500,000 and 1.5 million eggs per season. After fertilization, the eggs take around 25 hours to hatch in warm water and 120 hours in colder water.

Lifespan

Spanish mackerel typically live to the age of 12, but there have been cases of these fish living as long as 25 years!

Spanish Mackerel Population

It’s hard to determine the population size for Spanish mackerel, as there are so many species distributed all over the globe.