Justification
This is a common and locally abundant species with fluctuating fishery landings. It was much more abundant in catches (peaks to around 23,000mt) before 1965 and over the last 20 years has fluctuated between 5,000 and 15,000mt, with recent years showing higher landings. This species is considered Least Concern at present and its recent increases may be a result of a parallel decrease of Scomber colias (Chub mackerel, ex. S. japonicus). However, fishing effort control and improved monitoring should be useful to better manage this species.
Geographic Range Information
In the western Atlantic this species is present from Labrador to Cape Lookout. This species is present in the eastern Atlantic including the southwestern Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
In the Mediterranean basin S. scombrus occurs from the Catalan Sea (Zardoya et al. 2004), Gulf of Lions (FAO GFCM 2005), Ligurian Sea (Tunesi et al. 2005), Tyrrhenian Sea (Colloca et al. 2004, Zardoya et al. 2004), Strait of Sicily (Zardoya et al. 2004), Tunisian waters (Ben Soussi et al. 2005), Adriatic Sea (Malavasi et al. 2004, Zardoya et al. 2004, Sinovcic et al. 2005, Perugini et al. 2007) and Aegean Sea (Zardoya et al. 2004, Akin et al. 2005, Koutrakis et al. 2005, Karakulak et al. 2006, Gokce and Metin 2007).
Population Information
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Catch statistics show that between late 1980s and 2001 fluctuations between 5,000-10,000mt occurred and in recent years there has been an increase in landings to around 15,000mt, followed by another decline in 2005. It is likely that these catch statistics are mixed with Scomber colias (Chub mackerel, ex. S. japonicus). This is a common species that is locally abundant but also known to disappear from some localities in different years.
54 specimens, with length varied from 22 to 31.1 cm TL, were collected from a survey conducted for selectivity by gill and trammel nets (inner mesh sizes 16, 18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 30 and 32 mm bar length) in the coastal waters of Turkey from March 2004 to February 2005 (Karakulak et al. 2006)
Gokce and Metin (2007) collected 4 specimens using three artisanal fishing boats (6.7 and 10 m long) comprising 39 fishing operations. The trials took place between May and October 2003 in Izmir Bay, Turkey. The fishing gear was combined trammel net to trammel net with one lower and one upper part. Each part is formed of three layers: the inner layer with a small mesh size (40 mm stretched mesh), the outer layers with a larger mesh size (220 mm stretched mesh). These nets, each 100 m long and 1.30 m deep, are hung to a common float line and lead line.
Perugini et al. (2007) recorded 2 specimens ( 22.0 and 32.0 cm TL) from the Central Adriatic Sea, Italy, within 40 miles of Pescara by local boats using deep-sea trawls at a water depth ranging from 220 to 280 m.
1167 specimens with length varied from 17.3 to 41.4 cm were collected throughout the period of January 1998 to February 2003 in the eastern Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, by purse seine and beach seine (Sinovcic et al. 2004)
Scomber scomber annual landings (tons) in the Mediterranean (1996-2005), obtained from the FAO FISHSTAT Fisheries Statistical Database (2007): 5860 (1996), 3451 (1997), 5021 (1998), 2679 (1999), 5006 (2000), 4471 (2001), 4731 (2002), 5885 (2003), 8865 (2004), 13133 (2005).
Habitat and Ecology Information
This is a pelagic, oceanodromous species. It is abundant in cold and temperate shelf areas, and forms large schools near the surface. S. scombrus overwinters in deeper waters but move closer to shore in spring when water temperatures range between 11° and 14°C. This species is mainly diurnal and feeds on zooplankton and small fish. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Recruitment in the Mediterranean Sea has been poor and unstable. After spawning, adults feed very actively, moving around in small shoals (Muus and Nielsen 1999).
Threats Information
This is a species with high commercial importance. It is caught with trawls, seines, gill and trammel nets. The species is traded fresh, frozen, smoked and canned and eaten fried, broiled and baked (Frimodt 1995). There are two stocks in the north-east Atlantic: North Sea (east) and British Isles (west). The North Sea stock decreased dramatically in the 1960s because of direct overfishing. The South-West Mackerel handliners fishery of this species has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (http://www.msc.org/) as well-managed and sustainable.
In the Mediterranean this species is caught commercially and is canned. The major capture method is by purse seine, but also caught by gill nets, drift nets, handline and troll lines.
Use and Trade Information
This is a species with high commercial importance. It is traded fresh, frozen, smoked and canned and eaten fried, broiled and baked (Frimodt 1995).
In the Mediterranean this species is caught commercially and is canned.
Conservation Actions Information
The EU list the minimum landing size as 18 cm. Ukraine minimum landing size is 15 cm. Turkey minimum landing size is 20 cm. Bulgaria minimum landing size is 22 cm. Romania minimum landing size is 23 cm.
