Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

Photo by Jonathan Layman on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

FishActive Jun–Sep

Atlantic mackerel

Scomber scombrus

When
Jun–Sep — June, July, August, September. Earlier where the water warms first.
Where it holds
Open water off piers, breakwaters, rocky points and boats in summer, chasing fry in fast-moving shoals near the surface.
How to know it
Torpedo-shaped, with wavy black tiger stripes on a blue-green back, a plain silver-white belly, and a row of small finlets before the forked tail.
What to know
The summer fish of every pier. When the shoals are in, everyone catches — which is exactly why it pays to take only a few.
The tactic
A string of feathers or small lures cast out and wound back fast, or jigged under a boat.
Caution
Both Atlantic stocks are low. Take only what you will eat that day; in Canada the recreational limit is 20 mackerel a day, on one line with up to three hooks.

Seasons, size limits and catch limits change every year and differ by water body. Check the current regulations for the country and the water before you fish.

Atlantic mackerel facts

Also called
Mackerel, common mackerel; maquereau in French, caballa in Spanish, sgombro in Italian, makrell in Norwegian, makrill in Swedish.
Family
Scombridae, the mackerels and tunas.
Native range
Both sides of the North Atlantic — from Labrador to the US mid-Atlantic coast in the west, and from Iceland and Norway south to North Africa in the east — and the Mediterranean.
Habitat
Open water over the continental shelf, in huge schools near the surface in summer and deeper offshore in winter. It comes inshore in spring as the sea warms.
Water temperature
Cool water; mackerel move inshore in spring when the sea reaches about 11–14°C (52–57°F).
Size
Most adults 25–40 cm (10–16 in); the largest measured about 60 cm (24 in).
Record
IGFA all-tackle world record: 1.6 kg (3 lb 8 oz), Lorenzo Roca, L'Ampolla, Spain, 2015. The British boat record is heavier: 2.79 kg (6 lb 2 oz), off Penberth Cove, Cornwall, 1984.
Lifespan
Up to about 17 years.
What it eats
Zooplankton and small fish, hunted mostly by day.
Spawning
In batches through spring and summer, in open water; the eggs and larvae drift in the plankton. After spawning, adults feed hard in small, fast-moving shoals.
Young fish
Larvae grow quickly in the plankton, and young mackerel school close inshore by late summer.
Teeth and mouth
A pointed head and a wide mouth with small teeth.
Look-alikes
Atlantic chub mackerel has a swim bladder, a bigger eye, and spots or wavy lines on its lower sides; the Atlantic mackerel has a plain silver belly and no swim bladder. Horse mackerel (scad) has a row of bony plates along its side.
Eating
Superb fresh, grilled or smoked — oily and rich — but it spoils fast, so ice it at once.
Status
IUCN Least Concern as a species, but both Atlantic stocks are in trouble. ICES advised a cut of about 70% in the northeast Atlantic catch for 2026, with the stock below its safe biological limit; in Canada the stock has been in the critical zone since 2011 and the commercial fishery remains closed.

Try it

How big does a atlantic mackerel get?

Slide it from an ordinary adult to the biggest one ever measured, next to things you know the size of.

33 cm · 13 inmost adults10203040506070cm369121518212427ina grown-up's hand · 18 cma loaf of bread · 30 cm

Most adults you'll catch: 25–40 cm (10–16 in).

This atlantic mackerel: 33 cm. Longer than a loaf of bread, shorter than a four-year-old.

The record

IGFA all-tackle world record: 1.6 kg (3 lb 8 oz), Lorenzo Roca, L'Ampolla, Spain, 2015. The British boat record is heavier: 2.79 kg (6 lb 2 oz), off Penberth Cove, Cornwall, 1984.

Questions people ask about atlantic mackerel

Is it OK to catch mackerel?

Yes, in moderation. Take only what you will eat, and follow local limits: in Canada, recreational anglers may keep 20 mackerel a day, fishing one line with up to three hooks. The northeast Atlantic stock is low too, so put the rest back.

Do mackerel have a swim bladder?

No — the Atlantic mackerel has no swim bladder, which is one way to tell it from its close relative, the Atlantic chub mackerel, which does.

How big do mackerel get?

Most are 25–40 cm (10–16 in) and under 1 kg. The largest reach about 60 cm and 3.4 kg. The IGFA world record is 1.6 kg (3 lb 8 oz), from Spain in 2015; Britain's boat record, from Cornwall in 1984, is 2.79 kg (6 lb 2 oz).

When are the mackerel in?

In northern Europe and Atlantic Canada, mackerel come inshore in late spring and summer — June to September are the peak months — then move offshore and deeper for the winter.

Found in these regions

Checked against these sources ·

Sizes, records and ranges are for the species as a whole; local fish, and local rules, vary. Records change — the record-keeper named above has the current one.

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