Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus)

• Spanish mackerel population levels are high and overfishing is not occurring.
• Management measures have been successful in rebuilding Spanish mackerel stocks.
• Spanish mackerel are an excellent source of selenium, niacin, and vitamins B6 and B12. For more on nutrition, see Nutrition Facts. (USDA)
• There are several species of mackerel harvested in U.S. commercial fisheries. Spanish mackerel makes up a smaller portion of total mackerel landings, but it is one of the most commonly caught species off the southeast coast and supports important recreational and commercial fisheries.

Sustainability Status

Biomass: Both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean subpopulations of Spanish mackerel are above the biomass needed to support maximum sustainable yield (B_MSY).
Overfishing: No
Overfished: No
Fishing and habitat: Impacts to habitat associated with fishing are considered minimal given that Spanish mackerel are primarily caught in coastal waters at or near the water surface.
Bycatch: Commercial mackerel fishermen use cast nets, hook-and-line, and gillnets to harvest Spanish mackerel. Cast nets account for the majority of landings and have minimal bycatch since commercial fishermen can throw the cast net directly on schooling Spanish mackerel. Sink and runaround gillnets also have little associated bycatch as fishermen are able to set nets directly on schools of mackerel.
Aquaculture: There is currently no commercial aquaculture of Spanish mackerel in the U.S.

Science and Management

There are two subpopulations of Spanish mackerel, one in the South Atlantic and one in the Gulf of Mexico. Spanish mackerel fisheries in federal waters are managed by the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils through the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Amendment 5 to the FMP also extended the management area for Atlantic mackerels through the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's jurisdiction. The FMP includes permit requirements, a 12 inch fork length minimum size limit, a bag limit, commercial quotas, and gear restrictions. Spanish mackerel must be landed with heads and fins intact in both the commercial and recreational fisheries.

In the Atlantic region, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) cooperates with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to adopt regulations for state waters that complement the regulations approved by federal management councils. Since adoption of the ASMFC FMP in 1990, Southern and Mid-Atlantic states have responded to the plan's recommendations and implemented bag limits, size limits, commercial trip limits, and provisions for seasonal closures to complement the council's measures for federal waters. Implementation of these measures has rebuilt the fishery from a level that was once in decline.

Stock assessments are conducted through the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Process.

Life History and Habitat

Life history, including information on the habitat, growth, feeding, and reproduction of a species, is important because it affects how a fishery is managed.

• Geographic range: Spanish mackerel is found off the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Habitat: Spanish mackerel prefer temperatures above 68° F. They mostly live in open water but are sometimes found over deep grass beds and reefs, as well as in shallow estuaries.
• Life span: Up to 12 years old.
• Food: Spanish mackerel feed on a variety of fish, including herring, menhaden, sardines, mullet, needlefish, and anchovy; shrimp; crabs; and squid.
• Growth rate: Growth is rapid until age 4.
• Maximum size: The largest recorded Spanish mackerel weighed 13 pounds.
• Reaches reproductive maturity: Both sexes are capable of reproducing by their second year of life.
• Reproduction: Spanish mackerel are batch spawners, meaning they shed their eggs more than once through a spawning season. Females release between half a million and 1.5 million eggs.
• Spawning season: April to September.
• Spawning grounds: In the Atlantic Ocean, Spanish mackerel spawn off the North Carolina and Virginia coasts. In the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Spanish mackerel spawn closer to shore and in shallower waters than king mackerel.
• Migrations: Spanish mackerel form immense, fast-moving schools that travel great distances. Along the Atlantic coast, Spanish mackerel spend the winter off Florida and move northward to North Carolina in early April and to New York in June. As waters cool later in the year, they return south to Florida waters. In the eastern Gulf of Mexico, they migrate to the west of Cape San Blas, Florida. They remain in the north until September and migrate south in the fall.
• Predators: Dolphins and sharks are major predators of Spanish mackerel.
• Commercial or recreational interest: Both
• Distinguishing characteristics: The Spanish mackerel is much smaller than its relative, the king mackerel. Spanish mackerel have a greenish back with silver sides and belly. Yellow or olive green oval spots traverse the body, which is covered with very tiny scales. The Spanish mackerel is distinguished from cero mackerel (Scomberomorus regalis) by yellow-gold spots on its sides (versus yellow-gold streaks along the midline from pectoral fin to tail); and from king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) which has a lateral line that drops abruptly below the second dorsal fin.

Role in the Ecosystem

Spanish mackerels are mid-level pelagic carnivores, preying primarily on baitfish. Dolphins and sharks are known to feed on Spanish mackerel.

Additional Information

Market names: Mackerel, Spanish
Vernacular names: Spotted Cybium, Bay Mackerel, Spotted Mackerel

Biomass

Biomass refers to the amount of Spanish mackerel in the ocean. Scientists cannot collect and weigh every single fish to determine biomass, so they use mathematical models to estimate it instead. These biomass estimates can help determine if a stock is being fished too heavily or if it may be able to tolerate more fishing pressure. Managers can then make appropriate changes in the regulations of the fishery.

The latest assessment for Gulf Spanish mackerel was conducted in 2003, and for Atlantic Spanish mackerel in 2008. In the Atlantic, estimates of stock biomass have more than doubled since 1995. In the Gulf of Mexico, biomass has also continued to increase. The 2003 assessment determined Gulf Spanish mackerel were not overfished or undergoing overfishing. The 2008 assessment determined Atlantic Spanish mackerel were not undergoing overfishing, but could not determine the overfished status.

Landings

Landings refer to the amount of catch that is brought to land. Other than some peak landings in the latter half of the 1970s and early 1980s, Spanish mackerel commercial landings have been relatively flat, averaging 3.9 million pounds between 1950 and 2007 along the U.S. Atlantic coast.

In the Gulf of Mexico, catches have ranged from a high of 10.1 million pounds in 1987-1988 to a low of 2.1 million pounds in 1996-1997. Total landings generally increased after 1997, with most of the increases coming from the recreational sector of the fishery.

Biomass and Landings

Biomass and landings data can sometimes be used to detect trends in a fishery. They may influence each other, and factors such as changes in management measures, fishing effort, market preferences, or environmental conditions may impact landings and biomass as well.

Data sources:
Biomass and landings from NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review – SEDAR 17 South Atlantic Spanish Mackerel, 2003 Report of the Mackerel Stock Assessment Panel

Important Dates

1970s-Early 1980s – Both recreational and commercial harvests exceed Spanish mackerel's reproductive capacity and lead to overfishing, prompting state and federal management
Pre-1980s – Spanish mackerel catches are unregulated; introduction of airplane reconnaissance and large power-assisted gill net vessels in the commercial fishery take advantage of the schooling nature of the fish and greatly increase catches
1982-1983 – Coastal Migratory Pelagics FMP is approved and implemented
1985 – Amendment 1 establishes a minimum size limit for Spanish mackerel
1987 – Amendment 2 lowers maximum sustainable yield, recognizes two migratory groups, sets commercial quotas and bag limits, requires permits for charterboats, and prohibits the use of purse seines on overfished stocks
1989 – Amendment 3 prohibits use of drift gill nets for coastal pelagics
1989 – Amendment 4 allocates Spanish mackerel equally between recreational and commercial fishermen (Atlantic group)
1990 – An FMP, complementary to the federal FMP, is adopted for state waters
1990 – Amendment 5 extends management area through the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's jurisdiction, revises fishing year for Gulf Spanish mackerel, among other measures
1992 – Amendment 6 includes commercial Atlantic Spanish mackerel possession limits
1996 – Amendment 8 specifies allowable gear
2002 – Amendment 13 establishes two marine reserves in the EEZ of the Gulf near Dry Tortugas, Florida, known as Tortugas North and Tortugas South where fishing for coastal migratory pelagic species is prohibited
2005 – Amendment 17 establishes limited access on for-hire coastal migratory pelagic permits

Notes and Links

General Information:
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Fish ID for Spanish Mackerel

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission - Spanish mackerel page

Fishery Management:
History of the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagics in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagics in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico and Amendments

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission FMP for Spanish Mackerel

Stock Assessments:
NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review – SEDAR 17 South Atlantic Spanish Mackerel

2003 Report of the Mackerel Stock Assessment Panel

Page last updated: October 21, 2009