Mackerel habitats in Russia: types, nutrition, nutrients

Mackerel habitats in Russia

Sea or river? Mackerel is not found in fresh river waters and is a marine inhabitant. Its habitat is the water column, where many small organisms and fish swim. Mackerel is a heat-loving fish and prefers water with a temperature of 10-20 C. The lowest water temperature is fatal for mackerel: at +6...+9 C its energy and metabolism are slowed down, and a temperature of +2 C is detrimental to the individual, it falls asleep and drowns in a matter of minutes. That is why mackerel cannot be found in northern reservoirs. Habitat: almost all warm seas and currents. There is little mackerel in Russia; domestic reservoirs are quite cool for mackerel fish. But there are cities where commercial fishing is carried out.

The huge industrial region of such mackerel fish was the Far East. Here they started catching it in 1960, but in the late 80s it became so scarce that there was no point in commercial catching, because of this, since 1990, fishing has completely stopped.

Only non-professional fishing has survived in the Black Sea. Until the 1970s, such individuals were caught here commercially, but after that large migrations stopped. One of the reasons for this was the difficulty of passing the Bosphorus Strait, which is polluted by Istanbul runoff, and mackerel is sensitive to the environmental friendliness of the reservoir. The suspension of the widespread movement of fish into the Black Sea caused a noticeable decrease in the varieties of marine life in this city. Because together with the schools of these fish, large predators - tuna, sawfish and others - stopped swimming here. An individual that previously swam into the Black Sea is now spawning in the Sea of Marmara.

Yandex.MapsMarmara Sea — Yandex.Maps

Description of the fish

The sizes are quite small, but one cannot say that this is a small fish. The body length of an adult can reach 67 centimeters. Most often found in medium sizes 30-40 centimeters. The average weight is usually 300−400 grams. But sometimes you come across mackerel up to 2 kg. But this is rather an exception to the rule. The peculiarity of the fish is that it does not have an air swim bladder.

Habitat

Many people wonder where mackerel is found. She prefers to live in the oceans, swimming into nearby seas. This fish is not found only in the Arctic. It is found in large quantities in the Atlantic Ocean, on its northern shores. Large schools of this predator can also be observed along the coast of Iceland. Schools of mackerel are also present in the Canary Islands area. In general, this type of fish is found in all seas and oceans of the earth.

And only at the north and south poles, where the water temperature is very low, is this predator absent.

Let's take a closer look at where mackerel is found in Russia. Namely, in what seas and oceans is it caught for Russia and the former republics of the Soviet Union, where does this fish on the shelves of our stores come from?

What does he eat?

These aquatic inhabitants are quite diverse in terms of diet. Ripe fish usually eat zooplankton, as well as some plants.

Mackerel eats a lot during the day and in the evening. During the period of throwing, which takes place in the spring, it stops feeding, except in the rarest situations, and upon its completion it begins to actively eat. At this time, the mackerel menu is dominated by small fish. For example, in the waters of the North, predators prefer to go hunting for small herring, and in the Black Sea - for anchovy. In autumn, the overall richness of the diet decreases, but the proportion of small organisms in the menu also increases. In winter, these fish may not eat at all. Adult sea creatures will be able to eat fish of their own species.

Young individuals feed on small crustaceans; there are situations of cannibalism before the young fish join schools.

Features of mackerel fishing in Norway

People often go to Norway to enjoy not only nature, but also sea fishing, which does not require a license and is free. Here you can experience the excitement of sports and get many unforgettable experiences. Although in Norway mackerel is found along the entire coastline, it is most common in the middle and southern regions, such as the Oslofjord. In the northern regions it is much less.

Mackerel fishing season

The mackerel fishing season in these waters begins in June and lasts until November. In summer, large schools of fish are found off the coast, as well as in the strait between the Scandinavian Peninsula and Jutland, in the North Sea and in the southern waters of the Norwegian Sea. The most common type of sea fishing in Norway is mackerel fishing off the picturesque shores of fjords, near which there are no strong currents and winds, and the unique beauty of nature brings aesthetic pleasure. In such places you can catch specimens weighing up to one and a half kilograms.

It will be most convenient for a novice fisherman to fish no further than north of Bergen. You can catch mackerel directly from land or use a rubber boat equipped with a light motor. The best time for this is the summer months of July and August. Southern Norway experiences a mild climate during this period, and there are often warm days with temperatures up to 25 degrees.

Reproduction and longevity

In the second year of life, she begins to mature; from this day on, the individual reproduces every year without any interruptions until death. The spawning of fish that live in schools is carried out in several steps: at the beginning of May, mature mackerels come out to spawn, then younger and younger ones, and then, at the end of June, the time of the first-born comes.

For spawning, the individual chooses coastal places. The prolific mackerel descends to a depth of 200 m, where in some places it lays eggs in parts. In total, during spawning, a mature mackerel can hatch approximately 500,000 eggs, any of them up to 1 mm in size. and they contain a special fat that functions as a diet for defenseless larvae.

The correct development of eggs occurs at a water temperature of 13 degrees; the higher it is, the sooner the fry will hatch, the size of which is a couple of mm. Often the period from spawning to the appearance of larvae is approximately 16-21 days.

The intensive development of the larvae makes it possible for them to achieve volumes of 3-6 cm by the end of summer; by mid-autumn their size reaches up to 18 cm. The speed of development of an individual depends on its age: the younger the fish, the more actively it develops. This is done until the size of the body reaches 30 cm, after which development is noticeably slowed down, but does not stop at all.

Throughout its life, the individual engages in spawning, the duration of which often takes 18-20 years. But in an optimal environment and in the absence of danger from other predatory marine animals, some mackerel can live up to 30 years.

Distribution and lifestyle

Mackerel is ubiquitous: it is found in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean. Mackerel swims into the inland seas: the Black, Marmara and Baltic. Atlantic mackerel is distributed along the European coast from the Canary Islands to the British Isle. In warm seasons, fish can often be found near Iceland, as well as near Murmansk. There are cases when individual schools migrated to the White Sea and to the islands called Novaya Zemlya.

Mackerel is a migratory fish. This is due to the fact that it only lives at temperatures ranging from 8 to 20 degrees Celsius. Only fish living in the Indian Ocean remain to winter in place: it maintains an optimal temperature regime. Atlantic mackerel move from the Black Sea to the northern coast of Europe, where warm currents are found when sea temperatures drop to 10 degrees Celsius. Mackerel rarely spend the winter off the coast of Turkey.

Mackerel migrations are of a feeding nature. Wintering fish show low activity; during wintering they practically do not feed. At this time, mackerel prefers to stay near the slopes of the continental shelves at a depth of up to 250 meters. From the Sea of Marmara back to the Black Sea, mackerel begins migrating in spring or early summer after spawning.

Differences from mackerel

Between themselves they look identical in appearance and volume. But at a retail outlet they will be able to offer you a choice of fish of different sizes, but with the same name. When the fish is smaller, you will definitely buy mackerel. And if the carcass looks fat and large, then it is mackerel. This is due to the fact that the stock of this species in the ocean is quite large, which is why most fishermen choose mackerel.

When delivering fish to retail outlets, they often get confused. All imported products are disguised in a foreign language. It is also indicated that both carcasses have identical markings. To distinguish them, it is necessary to find out all the features of each of them.

To find out the difference, you need to look at the mackerel at least once in the photo. Or analyze a photo of mackerel. The external features of the fish are as follows.

Both individuals are gray-green in color.
They have identical shapes.
Mackerel has tiger lines on its back.
Mackerel have lines and dark spots.
These individuals are caught only from mid-spring to mid-autumn by fishing vessels.

Kinds

A number of species of mackerel, which can often be seen in retail outlets in different countries.

Australian

This mackerel is also called blue mackerel. In reality it is the same individual.

This species has an elongated fusiform body, provided with a cycloid scaly layer. There are 2 keels on the sides, there is no middle keel. The beginning of the caudal fin is located below the line of the 2nd spinal fin. There is a swim bladder. The ridge is dark bluish or bluish-green with dark winding stripes. The sides and belly are grayish-white with grayish-blue spots, wavy, thin and short stripes.

The usual size is 30 cm, the largest size is 45 cm, the largest established weight is 1.4 kg.

The fish lives at a depth of up to 300 m. Mackerel are epipelagic and mesopelagic, and are rarely observed in hot waters. They will be able to create schools with related varieties of the same size. The range covers areas in the western Pacific Ocean from the Japanese and Chinese coasts in the north to Australia and New Zealand in the south. Found from the east of the Hawaiian Islands to the west of the Mexican coast. There is also a population in the Red Sea and the northern Indian Ocean.

African

The body configuration is similar to the Far Eastern one, but stands out in color and size. The maximum established size of mackerel is 50 cm, the average size is 30 cm. The shade stands out from other varieties - the backbone is green, not bluish, the sides are yellow.

Found in African and Mediterranean Seas. Not north is popular until the Bay of Biscay. The region overlaps with the Atlantic.

It has higher fertility among all species - during the spawning period, an individual of one African fish can spawn up to 3,000,000 eggs. Puberty occurs in the second year of life, and its duration is approximately 13 years.

Japanese

It is also called the Far Eastern one; this individual is popular in the reservoirs of the shores of the Kuril Islands. The optimal water temperature is up to 27 C; during summer movement it increases its habitat, moving to the warmest bodies of water.

The body is long, gray-blue in color, with a pattern of lines located on the sides and on the spine of the individual. Schooling behavior appears in the first year of existence when the body grows 3 cm. The individual begins spawning in the Sea of Japan from spring to mid-summer. Females lay up to 60,000 eggs. The growth cycle of fry to mature fish is approximately 6 months.

Atlantic

The name of this mackerel is similar to the name of mackerel in some European languages. The largest size of the body is 60 cm, the individual is green-blue in color, there are wavy transverse stripes and dots on the ridge. No swim bladder. Atlantic mackerel lives off the Icelandic coast and the Canary Islands, in North Carolina, and in the waters of the North Sea. Representatives of other species may also be present in schools, but only fish of one size.

When spawning, the female throws at speeds of up to 77 km/h, producing a characteristic noise above the surface of the water, which attracts fishermen and predatory animals. The spawning takes place in the summer. Productivity is approximately 500,000 thousand eggs. The mackerel begins to move when the water temperature drops to 10 C, it is in search of warm reservoirs of the Sea of Marmara. Staying for the winter, the individual descends to a depth of 200 m and leads a sedentary lifestyle with a limited diet. On average, maturation occurs in the 3rd year of life; it is also known that such fish live up to 18 years.

King mackerel

In people, this fish from the mackerel family is similar to the common mackerel, but in reality the mackerel is a separate genus. They can be distinguished from each other by the shade of the fish. The skin of the mackerel is colored in light white-blue shades with a dark blue ridge; there are pale transverse lines of a dark color. The body size of the mackerel is also longer than that of the king mackerel, up to 1.5 m.

The schooling fish is found in the Atlantic Ocean, along the American and Brazilian coasts. The fish begins to spawn from May to October in the Gulf of Mexico. Females mark 2.5 million eggs. The life cycle duration is approximately 32 g. Like all types of mackerel, mackerel is a valuable commercial fish and does not cause threats to the population of the species.

Pacific mackerel

It is also called mackerel. Significantly similar to ordinary Japanese fish, but they have impressive mackerel sizes and a different color. The carcass grows to a maximum size of 100 cm. It has a green-blue tint, but on the entire surface of the body there are patterns that consist of blurry short stripes and dots.

Pacific mackerel spawn from April to mid-autumn, which results in overlap with the spawn of the Japanese specimen. Because the fishery is conducted using purse seines and longlines, both fish are caught in fishing gear, which can lead to mislabelling of the product.

Black Sea

The Black Sea mackerel is a small marine species that is similar in appearance to horse mackerel. Average weight is about 150 g.

This is a rather beautiful fish with regular geometric shapes. Due to the peculiarity of the body, mackerel can gain significant speed. The ridge is green in color with a bluish tint.

In spring, small schools of fish are found in the northwestern and northern parts of the Black Sea. Noticeable populations of Black Sea fish can be found in the Odessa Bay in the spring. In Adler-Tuapse, the individual is caught in September, but not every year. In winter, as the sea temperature decreases, mackerel populations move to the south of the Black Sea, and many are found in the Batumi-Sukhumi region.

Amateur mackerel fishing is widespread in almost all European countries that have access to the sea. In our country, mackerel fishing is carried out in the Far East and the Black Sea; mackerel also lives in the Baltic Sea. Mackerel fishing is especially attractive in Norway.

Mackerel belongs to the family of perch fish and the order of the species of mackerel fish. The body of this fish has a spindle-shaped elongated shape with very small scales. Mackerel is not large in size and rarely reaches a length of more than 60 cm and a weight of 2 kg. Basically, fishing for mackerel makes it possible to catch specimens weighing about 500 g and 30-35 cm long.

There are several types of mackerel, the most commonly known and most often found on the shelves of shops and markets are Atlantic mackerel, Japanese blue mackerel, Australian mackerel, and African mackerel. All these varieties are silver in color and have dark transverse stripes along the body. The back of the mackerel is blue-green.

Almost all species of mackerel have a swim bladder with the exception of the Atlantic mackerel. But this is precisely what makes it possible for Atlantic mackerel to quickly sink to the bottom and rise back to the surface. The habitat of the Atlantic mackerel, which will mainly be discussed, is very extensive and reaches the Canary Islands in the southern part of the Atlantic, and Norway in the northern part. Fishing for mackerel is common in almost all seas of the Atlantic Ocean. Often schools of this fish move to inland seas such as the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black. During the summer season, huge schools of mackerel migrate to the coast of Iceland. Atlantic mackerel, which lives in the seas surrounding Europe, is divided into three huge herds. The habitats of these herds are the Bay of Biscay, the Skagerrak Strait into the North Sea and off the coast of Western Britain.

The characteristics of fishing for mackerel living in different parts of the Atlantic are not particularly different. Mackerel mainly feeds on zooplankton, as well as small fish, this can be anchovy, sardine, juvenile herring, cod, and other fish. During the hunt, the predatory mackerel is part of a large school and drives schools of small fish to the surface, forming a kind of perch boiler. So, the hunting grounds of mackerel can be seen from afar by the seagulls buzzing over the boiler, so fishing for mackerel in the areas of such boilers will delight you with a rich catch. The prey of mackerel is any fish that the mackerel is able to swallow, so it is not uncommon for a mackerel to bite on an empty hook. For fishing for mackerel, the most primitive gear and equipment is used, and the most effective gear for catching this fish is the tyrant.

Mackerel is caught using such natural lures as cutting fish or shellfish meat. However, fishing for mackerel and artificial baits is no less effective; they are inexpensive, and many baits can be made independently without any problems.

To attract mackerel and force it to attack the bait, materials such as Lurex, aluminum foil, and colorful bird feathers are used. If you are fishing for mackerel using a spinning rod, then the rig contains several leashes at once. Before you start fishing, you should measure the depths in the place where you are going to fish in order to do the fishing correctly. The weight of the load should vary from 40 to 80 grams.

Schools of mackerel are therefore in constant motion. To find fish you will have to make some effort and spend time. You'll be lucky if the seagulls point at a cauldron created by a hunting mackerel. If a school is found, we can assume that the mackerel fishing was a success and the catch will be excellent.

Fishing for mackerel from a boat or boat requires the angler to take into account the direction of the wind and the ability to accurately cast the load. Don’t forget to bleed, you also need to periodically bleed the line in different ways, thus diversifying your fishing tactics. If the movement of a school of mackerel occurs with the current, it is necessary to equip the tackle with a heavier load so that it does not drift to the side.

Fishing for mackerel in Norway

Norway attracts those who love nature and cannot imagine themselves without fishing. Sea fishing for mackerel and other fish is very popular in Norway and an entire tourism industry relies on it. Moreover, you don’t need a license to fish in the sea in Norway and such fishing is completely free. Such fishing will inevitably cause real sports excitement and leave behind a lot of the most vivid memories. Mackerel is distributed almost along the entire coast of this country. But it is best to catch it in the south and west of Norway. On the northern coast of Norway the number of mackerel is much less than, for example, in the south of Norway.

The best time to catch mackerel on the Norwegian coast is June-November. In summer, large schools of mackerel move between Jutland and the Scandinavian Peninsula. Large schools also enter the southern part of the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. At this time, mackerel fishing in Norway reaches its peak activity. Mackerel fishing in the Norwegian fjords is very attractive during this period; there are no strong currents, and the shores simply captivate with their beauty and unique nature. On the coast of fjords, individuals weighing more than 1.5 kg are often encountered.

Beginners are advised to go mackerel fishing south of Bergen. Successful fishing for mackerel from the shore . The results will be even better if you fish from a rubber boat with a light electric motor. In summer, the most active bite of this fish occurs in July-August.

In southern Norway, mild, comfortable weather prevails at this time. The average temperature stays at 23-250C.

If you find a place where mackerel immediately began to be actively caught, then you can say for sure that other fish in this place will no longer bite mackerel. Most often, fishing for mackerel in Norway takes place on the tyrant, as, indeed, in all other places where this predator is caught. Usually 4-7 hooks are mounted on such tackle. To cast a tyrant from the shore, use a match rod. In this case, a landing net is not required, because often after a bite, a fisherman pulls 3-4 mackerel ashore, and using a landing net can only confuse the equipment.

Video: Fishing for mackerel

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