United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: King mackerel, Kingfish, Spanish mackerel
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: restricted | Ref: Frimodt, C., 1995
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: Found in coastal waters during the warm months of the year. A popular gamefish in Florida (Ref. 9987). Also present inshore north and inshore south of Cape Hatteras. Fishing has been severely restricted. Strict management controls have helped the resource to recover, but the greater part of the catch is now reserved for game fishing (Ref. 9987). Also Ref. 26340.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Collette, B.B. and C.E. Nauen, 1983
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos) > Scombrinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Thazard barré, Carite lucio, Thazard barré, ... more

Main reference

Collette, B.B. and C.E. Nauen. 1983. (Ref. 168)
References | Biblio | Coordinator : Collette, Bruce B. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 184 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710); common length : 70.0 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 168); max. published weight: 45.0 kg (Ref. 168); max. reported age: 14 years (Ref. 4949)

Length at first maturity
L_m 63.3, range 45 - 114 cm

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 5 - 140 m (Ref. 36484), usually 5 - 15 m (Ref. 40849)

Climate / Range

Tropical, preferred 23°C (Ref. 107945); 44°N - 22°S, 98°W - 34°W (Ref. 54879)

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951) to Massachusetts, USA to São Paulo, Brazil. Eastern Central Atlantic: St. Paul's Rocks (Ref. 13121).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 12 - 18; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-18; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 16 - 20; Vertebrae: 41 - 43. Interpelvic process small and bifid. Swim bladder absent. Lateral line abruptly curving downward below second dorsal fin. Intestine with 2 folds and 3 limbs. Adults have no black area on the anterior part of the first dorsal fin. Juveniles with bronze spots in 5 or 6 irregular rows. Body entirely covered with scales.

Often found in outer reef areas. Larvae are encountered in surface waters of 26.3° to 31°C and 26.9 to 35 ppt. Feeds primarily on fishes with smaller quantities of penaeid shrimps and squids. Large schools have been found to migrate over considerable distances along the Atlantic US coast, water temperature permitting. It is an important species for recreational, commercial, and artisanal fisheries throughout its range. Most of the catch is processed into steaks or sold fresh, or sometimes canned and salted. Also prepared smoked and frozen (Ref. 9987). Potentially ciguatoxic in certain areas (Ref. 9710). Sometimes called "Kingfish" (Ref. 13442).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

Threat to humans

Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 9710)

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.4 ±0.3 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.07-0.15; tm=2; tmax=14; Fec=70,000)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High vulnerability (58 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Medium

Scomberomorus cavalla (Cuvier, 1829)