The narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) is a mackerel that is primarily found in Southeast Asia, but it can also be found as far west as the east coast of Africa, from the Middle East, along the northern coasts of the Indian Ocean, and as far east as the south-western Pacific Ocean. Their backs and flanks range in color from bright blue to dark grey, and their belly is a silvery blue-grey color. The sides of Spanish mackerel are covered with numerous, vertical, thin lines. The largest Australian mackerel is the Spanish mackerel, which may reach lengths of up to 200 cm and 70 kg.
tanigue, with Southeast Asia as its main location, but it may also be found as far east as Fiji in the South West Pacific Ocean, as far west as the east coast of Africa, from the Persian Gulf, and along the northern coasts of the Indian Ocean. As far south as Perth on the west coast and Sydney on the east coast, they are widespread all the way down both sides of Australia. As far north as China and perhaps Japan, they can be found. It was first discovered off the coast of Palestine in the 1930s and has since colonized the eastern Mediterranean as a Lessepsian migrant from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. It has now developed into a significant quarry species for regional fisheries.
On reef edges in the ocean, Spanish mackerel spawn. Large oil droplets on eggs help them float and retain them at the top of the water column, which is warmer, well-oxygenated, and provides an ample supply of planktonic food for the developing larvae. Spanish mackerel are thought to remain in their own species-specific groups when in the larval stage and are not typically seen alongside other species of the same genus, including S. semifasciatus and S. queenslandicus. With mature mackerel, however, it is occasionally possible for species from the same genus to mingle together.
Seasonal spawning lasts a long time in the warmer waters of the tropics. Prespawning feeding aggregations constitute the foundation of many of the fisheries that focus on this species. In the months of July through December, a sizable share of the female fish taken in the NT waters were either just spawning or were about to spawn. Spanish mackerel spawning times are typically accompanied by higher water temperatures that encourage the best food availability for the larvae’s quick growth and development. read more…
