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Origin of the species and description

Photo: Mackerel

The ancestors of fish appeared a very long time ago - over 500 million years ago. The very first reliably established one is a pikaya, a creature 2-3 centimeters in size, looking more like a worm than a fish. Pikaia had no fins, and it swam by bending its body. And only after a long evolution the first species resembling modern ones appeared.

This happened at the beginning of the Triassic period, at which time the class of ray-fins, to which mackerel belongs, arose. Although the most ancient ray-finned animals are also very different from modern ones, the basics of their biology remain the same. And yet, the ray-finned fish of the Mesozoic era almost all became extinct, and those species that inhabit the planet now arose already in the Paleogene era.

Video: Mackerel

After the extinction that occurred at the border of the Mesozoic and Paleozoic, about 66 million years ago, the evolution of fish went much faster - like many other orders. Speciation became much more active, because it was fish that began to dominate in water bodies, suffering less from extinction than other aquatic animals. It was then, at the very beginning of the new era, that the first representatives of the mackerel family appeared: the then extinct Landanichthys and Sphyraenodus, as well as the bonito genus, which has survived to this day. The oldest finds of these fish date back more than 65 million years.

The mackerels themselves appeared somewhat later, by the beginning of the Eocene, that is, approximately 55 million years ago, at the same time, most of the other genera belonging to the mackerel family were formed, and its real flourishing began, which continues to this day. The period of most active speciation ended precisely then, but individual species and even genera continued to appear in subsequent eras.

The genus mackerel was described by C. Linnaeus in 1758 and received the name Scomber. It is noteworthy that the family to which it belongs (mackerelidae) and even the order (mackerelidae) were named after this fish. From a systematic point of view, this is not entirely true, because mackerels were not the first to arise even in the family, but this genus is the most famous.

Reproduction and lifespan

Mackerel lives in schools, in which fish of approximately the same size and, accordingly, age gather. Flocks migrate, primarily in search of water at a comfortable temperature.

Mackerel begins to reproduce at the age of 3, and the lifespan of one fish is 18-20 years or more. The spawning period depends on the age of the fish: adults begin breeding in mid-spring, young fish - in early summer. Comfortable depth for spawning is 190-210 meters. The number of eggs that the female lays depends on the species, but they are always so small that it is impossible to see them with the naked eye. They swim in warm water until the larvae hatch.

The larvae develop from the eggs in 10-20 days, the exact time depends on the water temperature. The warmer it is, the faster development occurs. In the first weeks of their existence, the larvae and fry eat literally everything they can find. The mackerel retains its gluttony even in adulthood, but the most severe natural selection occurs among the fry: the stronger ones also feed on weaker relatives.

The most active growth occurs in the first six months: the fry, hatched in the spring, reach a length of 18 cm by October. When the fry reach a body length of 3 cm, they exhibit school behavior and begin to migrate.

Appearance and features

Photo: What mackerel looks like

The average length of this fish is 30-40 cm, maximum 58-63 cm. The average weight of an adult is 1-1.5 kg. Its body is elongated, spindle-shaped. The snout is pointed. It is most easily recognized by the characteristic dark stripes on the back, despite the fact that the belly does not have them - the transition from a striped color to a monochromatic color in the middle of the fish’s body is very sharp.

The back of the mackerel is dark blue with a steely sheen, and the sides and belly are silver with a yellowish tint. As a result, when mackerel appears at the surface, it is difficult for birds to see it, because it blends in with the water in color; on the other hand, it is hardly noticeable to fish swimming below, since for them it merges with the color of the sky, as it is seen through the water column.

Mackerel has well-developed fins, and it has additional ones that allow it to swim faster and maneuver better. All species except the Atlantic have a swim bladder: in combination with a streamlined body and developed muscles, this allows it to swim at a higher speed than other species can reach, up to 80 km/h.

It reaches such speed in a sharp throw in just two seconds, which is comparable to the acceleration of the fastest cars, but it can also maintain it for a matter of seconds. Typically, all types of mackerel swim at a speed of 20-30 km/h, in this mode they can spend most of the day and not become exhausted - but for this they need to eat a lot.

The teeth of mackerel are small, they do not allow them to hunt large prey: it is very difficult to tear tissue with them, they can only gnaw through very weak scales and soft tissues of small fish.

Interesting fact: When a large school of mackerel rises to the very surface of the water, the movement of these fish causes a roar that can be heard even at a distance of more than a kilometer.

Biological aspect of the mackerel species

Atlantic and Pacific mackerel

Although they have obvious
differences
, they belong to the same family. Their distinguishing feature is the bony ring around the eyes. They have a series of small fins from the second dorsal fin to the caudal fin, and from the caudal fin to the anus. They are necessary so that the fish can avoid turbulent turbulence when developing high speed.

Mackerel is very popular in Asian countries. In this halo of habitat it grows up to one meter. She is a predatory fish. It feeds mainly on mollusks and eels.

Interesting to know! The mackerel family is one of the fastest fish in the world, speeds can exceed 70 km/h.

Mackerel swim in schools and have a spindle-shaped body and a strong tail. Its numbers are very large and occupy one of the leading positions in ocean fisheries. She eats only small fish. The life cycle can reach up to eighteen years. Migrates over long distances and lives at average water temperatures. The habitat of the Atlantic species is the Mediterranean Sea. It is also found off the coast of Europe and on its islands, as well as off the coast of Israel.

When swimming for a long time, their body temperature can become several degrees higher, which allows them to cover long distances.

The enemies of mackerel are dolphins, sharks, birds and humans. They mostly move in huge schools.

Depending on where the fish was caught, three types are distinguished - small, Black Sea, ordinary and Japanese, Far Eastern

. The common one is caught in the Atlantic Ocean, the small one - in the Mediterranean Sea (this fish is heat-loving and small in size). The Black Sea is considered the most delicious, but it is the smallest in size. The Japanese one is the largest and has excellent taste.

It is used in different ways in industry. Caught seafood is frozen as a whole carcass or after cutting at the place of catch. Canned food is made from it, and at home various dishes are prepared from it, smoked, salted, dried, and its meat is considered a delicacy.

Where does mackerel live?

Photo: Mackerel fish

Each species of this fish has its own range, although they partially overlap:

• Atlantic mackerel is found in the North Atlantic and is also found in the Mediterranean Sea. In warm times it can reach the White Sea, and most of all in the Northern Sea;
• African mackerel also lives in the Atlantic, but further south, their ranges overlap, starting from the Bay of Biscay. It can also be found in the Canary Islands and the southern half of the Black Sea. It is most common in the Mediterranean Sea, especially in its southern part. Juveniles are found as far as the Congo, but adults swim north;
• Japanese mackerel lives off the eastern coast of Asia and around Japan, the islands of Indonesia, to the east it can be found all the way to Hawaii;
• Australian mackerel is found off the coast of Australia, as well as New Guinea, the Philippines, Hainan and Taiwan, Japan, and is distributed as far north as the Kuril Islands. It can also be found far from its main habitat: in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Persian Gulf. Although fishing for this species is also carried out, it is valued lower than the Japanese species.

As you can see, mackerel lives mainly in waters of moderate temperature: there are few of them and too far to the north, in the seas of the Arctic Ocean, and in too hot tropical ones. At the same time, the warmth of the waters of the seas in which it lives varies greatly. The point here is seasonal migrations: it moves to places where the water is at an optimal temperature (10-18 °C).

Only the fish inhabiting the Indian Ocean practically do not migrate: there the water temperature changes little throughout the year, and therefore there is no need for migrations. Some populations migrate over fairly long distances, for example, Black Sea mackerel swims to the North Atlantic in winter - thanks to warm currents, the water there remains in the optimal range. When spring comes, she makes the return journey.

Now you know where mackerel is found. Let's see what this fish eats.

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.

The body is spindle-shaped and covered with small scales. The back is blue-green with black transverse stripes. The underside of the fish is usually white with a yellow tint. The dorsal fin has a pointed shape. The pectoral and lateral fins are usually small in size and also have a pointed shape. The caudal fin is forked, more powerful and longer .

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?

Currently it is caught in the Barents and Black Seas, and is also supplied from the Far East. The best in taste and amount of vitamins is the Atlantic one, shoals of which are found in the North and Barents Seas. The Murmansk fleet catches mackerel there.

Mackerel prefers to live in schools in warm water . All residents of such a flock are approximately the same size. Sometimes such a flock accelerates to relatively high speeds, namely up to 75 km/h. The vital range of water temperature is 10-20 degrees. That is why a flock of predators constantly migrates in search of comfortable living conditions.

What does mackerel eat?

Photo: Mackerel in water

The menu for this fish includes:

• small fish;
• squid;
• plankton;
• larvae and eggs.

While the mackerel is small, it mainly consumes plankton: it filters the water and eats various small crustaceans found in it. It also feeds on small crabs, larvae, insects and similar small animals, without making much difference between them.

But it can also engage in predation: hunt for various kinds of small fish. Most often it feeds on young herring or sprat. Such a menu is more typical for already adult fish, and in schools it can attack even very large prey.

A large school of mackerel can also prey on schools of other fish that are trying to escape by moving to the very surface of the water. Then confusion usually begins: the mackerels themselves hunt for small fish, birds dive at them, dolphins and other large predators swim in response to the noise.

Mackerel fry often eat their own relatives. Although cannibalism is also common in adults: the largest fish often eat the young. All mackerels have a good appetite, but the Australian ones have it better than others; this fish is known for the fact that sometimes it even rushes to a bare hook, it is so inclined to devour everything indiscriminately.

Interesting fact: Mackerel can be fished, but it is not so easy because of its ability to make sudden and strong jerks. It can get off the hook if you just gape a little - that’s why fans of sport fishing love it. But you won’t be able to catch it from the shore; it needs to be done from a boat, and it’s best to move well away from the shore.

Where does it live in Russia?

It belongs to marine fish and is not found in fresh water bodies. Its habitat is the water column, where a lot of plankton and small fish swim. Heat-loving mackerel prefers water with a temperature of 10-20 degrees. Colder water is detrimental to this fish: at +6...+9 degrees its activity and metabolism slow down, and a temperature of +2 degrees is detrimental to it, the fish falls asleep and drowns in a matter of seconds. Therefore, it cannot be found in polar waters. Its habitat is almost all warm seas and currents. There are not many mackerel in Russia; our waters are too cold for this fish. But there are regions where industrial fishing is carried out.

A large mackerel fishing area was in the Far East. It began to be caught here in the 1960s, but in the late 1980s it became so scarce that industrial fishing lost its meaning, so since 1990, fishing has stopped completely.

Only amateur fishing remains in the Black Sea. Until the 70s, mackerel was caught here commercially, but then large migrations stopped. One of the reasons for this was the difficulty in crossing the Bosphorus Strait, which is polluted by runoff from Istanbul, and this fish is sensitive to the purity of the water. The cessation of mass migration of mackerel to the Black Sea has led to a significant decline in the species of marine fauna in this region. After all, along with the shoals of mackerel, large predators - tuna, swordfish and others - stopped coming here. The fish that used to enter the Black Sea now spawn in Mramornye.

There is a list of three habitats in the Atlantic Ocean where mackerel are found:

• northern - feeding leads in the Norwegian Sea, in the northern branches of the warm Gulf Stream current. This fish is caught here by trawlers from Murmansk;
• western - lives to the west and northwest of the British Isles, reaching the coast of Iceland;
• southern - living south of the British Isles all the way to the west coast of Africa.

The northern and western populations are fatter, and therefore more valuable than the southern ones. These populations are caught in the Baltic Sea, where the fish come to feed. In Russia, schools of mackerel also enter the White and Barents Seas, and industrial fishing is possible there. It enters the northern seas in warm years. Under favorable conditions, you can find schools of it even in the Gulf of Finland, but closer to fresh water bodies and even in estuaries and similar highly desalinated places, you won’t find it: river water makes it impossible for fish to reproduce and is detrimental to the fish itself.

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Sea mackerel

Active during the daytime and at dusk, resting at night. When hunting other fish, they make a sudden attack, most often from an ambush. During such short throws they can reach very high speeds, making it very difficult to escape them.

The fish is pelagic, that is, it usually lives at shallow depths. It lives in schools, sometimes mixed: in addition to the mackerels themselves, it may include sardines and some other fish. They tend to hunt both in packs and alone. When hunting together, schools of small fish often rise to the surface, where mackerel continue to chase them.

As a result, other aquatic predators, interested in what is happening, and birds, primarily seagulls, come into play - this is how some mackerels turn from hunters into prey, because they lose their vigilance when they try to catch other fish.

But all this applies to the warm period of the year. For several winter months, mackerel completely changes its lifestyle and goes into a kind of hibernation. Although this cannot be called full-fledged hibernation, the fish gather in wintering pits in large groups and remain motionless for a long time - and therefore do not eat anything.

Mackerel lives for quite a long time - 15-18 years, sometimes 22-23 years. It grows more and more slowly with age, the best age for catching is considered to be 10-12 years - by this time it reaches a fairly large size, and the meat becomes the most delicious.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Mackerel

Mackerel live in schools, either of fish of the same species or mixed, most often with herring, which is why they are usually caught together. Schools contain fish of the same size; very rarely they contain both large fish 10-15 years old and very young ones. It spawns from the second year, after which it does so annually. The first to spawn are the oldest mackerel, having reached 10-15 years of age; in the Atlantic population this occurs in April. Then, gradually, younger and younger individuals go to spawn, and so on until the last weeks of June, when fish at the age of 1-2 years spawn.

Thanks to annual reproduction and a large amount of eggs laid at a time (approximately 500,000 eggs per individual), mackerel breeds very quickly, and even despite a large number of threats and industrial fishing there is a lot of it. To spawn, the fish goes to warm waters near the shore, but at the same time chooses a place deeper and lays eggs at a depth of 150-200 m. This provides protection from many egg eaters, including other fish that do not swim so deep.

The eggs are small, about a millimeter in diameter, but in each, in addition to the embryo, there is also a drop of fat, which it can feed on at first. After the mackerel spawns, it swims away, but the eggs need to lie for 10-20 days for the larva to form. The exact period depends on the parameters of the water, primarily its temperature, which is why mackerel tries to choose a warmer place for spawning.

The newly born larva is both defenseless against predators and very aggressive itself. She attacks everything that is smaller and seems weaker, and devours prey if she manages to defeat it - her appetite is simply extraordinary. They also eat their own kind. When emerging, the larva is only 3 mm in length, but, actively feeding, it begins to grow very quickly. Since there is not enough food for everyone, most of them die during this period, but the rest grow to 4-5 cm by autumn - however, they still remain quite small and defenseless.

After this, the period of most active growth passes, the fish become less bloodthirsty, and their behavior begins to more and more resemble adults. But even when mackerel become sexually mature, their size is still small and they continue to grow.

Mackerel breeding

Mackerel begins to spawn in the second year of life. After this, it bears offspring every year. The advanced age of this fish begins at the end of its second decade.

Adult fish spawn in mid-spring, and young fish reproduce at the end of June. Their reproduction occurs very actively, because the fish are very prolific. At one time, she can leave about five hundred thousand eggs at a depth of about two hundred meters. The diameter of each egg is almost invisible to the human eye - it is only about one millimeter. Each of them contains a drop of fat, with the help of which the fry feeds throughout its development.

How long the larvae will form directly depends on how comfortable the conditions exist around. On average, this period ranges from ten days to three weeks. The mackerel larvae themselves are carnivorous, but also very aggressive. At times the thirst for food can awaken in them such that they are able to pounce and eat each other.

The fry that are born are quite small in size. Only a few centimeters long. But by autumn they grow very rapidly. Their size increases at least three times. After this, the growth rate of young mackerel slows down noticeably.

Natural enemies of mackerels

Photo: What mackerel looks like

Many predatory fish and other marine animals prey on mackerel.

Among them:

• sharks;
• dolphins;
• tuna;
• pelicans;
• sea ​​lions.

Despite the fact that it swims quickly, it is difficult for it to escape from such large predators simply because of the difference in size. Therefore, when such large fish attack, the school can only rush in different directions. In this case, each individual can only count on the fact that the predator will not go in pursuit of it.

At the same time, the predators themselves can attack in groups at once, and then the school of mackerel suffers very much; in one such attack it can be reduced by a quarter. But in mixed schools, other fish are usually at greater risk, because mackerel are faster and more maneuverable.

When the fish finds itself at the very surface of the water, it begins to be threatened by attacks from large birds and marine mammals. Sea lions and pelicans especially love it. Even when they are full of other prey, they often wait for mackerel, because its fatty meat is a delicacy for them.

Interesting fact: When buying frozen mackerel, it is important to pay attention to several signs that can help you understand that it was stored correctly and is not expired. The mackerel should be shiny and elastic, without wrinkled areas on the skin - this indicates that it has not been defrosted previously.

The meat should be creamy in color. If it is too pale or yellowish, the fish was caught too long ago or was defrosted during storage or transportation. A large amount of ice indicates improper storage, so the meat will most likely turn out to be loose.