Monterrey Spanish mackerel

Last updated

Monterrey Spanish mackerel
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scombriformes
Family: Scombridae
Genus: Scomberomorus
Species:
S. concolor
Binomial name
Scomberomorus concolor
(Lockington, 1879)
Synonyms
  • Chriomitra concolorLockington, 1879

The Monterrey Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus concolor) is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. It is endemic to Mexico where it is found in the northern part of the Gulf of California. It is the subject of a fishery, its population is declining and the IUCN has rated it as being a "vulnerable species"

Contents

Description

The Monterrey Spanish mackerel is a less deep-bodied fish than the bonito with which it is sometimes confused. The back is steely blue and the flanks silver. The pectoral fins are small and are located close to the gill covers. [2] The dorsal fin has 15 to 18 spines and 16 to 20 soft rays while the anal fin has 19 to 23 soft rays. The lateral line curves downwards towards to the tail. Males are unspotted but females have two series of brown spots. Its standard length is 77 cm (30 in) and its maximum weight is 3.6 kg (8 lb). [3]

Distribution

Historically the Monterrey Spanish mackerel was probably present in the eastern Pacific and Gulf of California as one continuous population. More recently there have been two widely separated populations, one in the Gulf of California and the other in the East Pacific, along the coasts of California as far south as the Mexican border. [1] The open sea population migrated northwards to Monterey Bay in September and then moved southwards in November to spend the winter around Catalina Island and in the Santa Barbara Channel. [2] However, the range of this fish has contracted, the open sea population has vanished, and the fish is now restricted to a single population in the northern part of the Gulf of California. [1]

Status

The Monterrey Spanish mackerel is caught alongside the Pacific sierra (Scomberomorus sierra) by the use of gillnets, and the two fish are jointly marketed as "sierra". This makes it difficult to establish the conservation status of the Monterrey Spanish mackerel, however it is estimated that the total population has been declining markedly because of over-exploitation, with a further 40% reduction expected in the next ten years. With no sign in a reduction in fishery activity, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this fish as being a "vulnerable species". [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackerel</span> Pelagic fish

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic goliath grouper</span> Species of fish

The Atlantic goliath grouper or itajara, also known as the jewfish, is a saltwater fish of the grouper family and one of the largest species of bony fish. The species can be found in the West Atlantic ranging from northeastern Florida, south throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and along South America to Brazil. In the East Pacific it ranges from Mexico to Peru. In the East Atlantic, the species ranges in West Africa from Senegal to Cabinda. The species has been observed at depths ranging from 1 to 100 meters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silky shark</span> Species of fish

The silky shark, also known by numerous names such as blackspot shark, gray whaler shark, olive shark, ridgeback shark, sickle shark, sickle-shaped shark and sickle silk shark, is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, named for the smooth texture of its skin. It is one of the most abundant sharks in the pelagic zone, and can be found around the world in tropical waters. Highly mobile and migratory, this shark is most often found over the edge of the continental shelf down to 50 m (164 ft). The silky shark has a slender, streamlined body and typically grows to a length of 2.5 m. It can be distinguished from other large requiem sharks by its relatively small first dorsal fin with a curving rear margin, its tiny second dorsal fin with a long free rear tip, and its long, sickle-shaped pectoral fins. It is a deep, metallic bronze-gray above and white below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King mackerel</span> Species of fish

The king mackerelsurmayi or kingfish, is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Spanish mackerel</span> Species of fish

The Atlantic Spanish mackerel is a migratory species of mackerel that swims to the northern Gulf of Mexico in spring, returns to southern Florida in the eastern Gulf, and to Mexico in the western Gulf in the fall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic horse mackerel</span> Species of fish

The Atlantic horse mackerel, also known as the European horse mackerel or common scad, is a species of jack mackerel in the family Carangidae, which includes the jacks, pompanos and trevallies. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Europe and Africa and into the south-eastern Indian Ocean. It is an important species in commercial fisheries and is listed as a Vulnerable species on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific jack mackerel</span> Species of fish

The Pacific jack mackerel, also known as the Californian jack mackerel or simply jack mackerel, is an abundant species of pelagic marine fish in the jack family, Carangidae. It is distributed along the western coast of North America, ranging from Alaska in the north to the Gulf of California in the south, inhabiting both offshore and inshore environments. The Pacific jack mackerel is a moderately large fish, growing to a maximum recorded length of 81 cm, although commonly seen below 55 cm. It is very similar in appearance to other members of its genus, Trachurus, especially T. murphyi, which was once thought to be a subspecies of T. symmetricus, and inhabits waters further south. Pacific jack mackerel travel in large schools, ranging up to 600 miles offshore and to depths of 400 m, generally moving through the upper part of the water column.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smalltail shark</span> Species of shark

The smalltail shark is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil. It inhabits shallow waters close to shore, particularly over muddy bottoms around estuaries. It tends to swim low in the water column and forms large aggregations segregated by sex. A slim species generally not exceeding 1.1 m (3.6 ft) in length, the smalltail shark has a rather long, pointed snout, a broad, triangular first dorsal fin, and a second dorsal fin that originates over the midpoint of the anal fin base. It is plain gray in color, without prominent markings on its fins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific angelshark</span> Species of shark

The Pacific angelshark is a species of angelshark, family Squatinidae, found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to the Gulf of California, and from Ecuador to Chile, although those in the Gulf of California and southeastern Pacific may in fact be separate species. The Pacific angelshark inhabits shallow, coastal waters on sandy flats, usually near rocky reefs, kelp forests, or other underwater features. This species resembles other angel sharks in appearance, with a flattened body and greatly enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins. Characteristic features of this shark include a pair of cone-shaped barbels on its snout, angular pectoral fins, and a brown or gray dorsal coloration with many small dark markings. It attains a maximum length of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).

<i>Scomberomorus</i> Genus of fishes

Scomberomorus is a genus of ray-finned bony fish in the mackerel family, Scombridae. More specifically, it is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, commonly known as the Spanish mackerels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish mackerel</span> Tribe of fishes

Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) – a family that it shares with three sister tribes, the tunas, mackerels, and bonitos, and the butterfly kingfish. Scomberomorini comprises 21 species across three genera. They are pelagic fish, fast swimmers and predatory in nature, that fight vigorously when caught. They are mainly caught using hooks and lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant guitarfish</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The giant guitarfish, also known as the whitespotted wedgefish, is a large species of guitarfish in the family Rhinidae. It is restricted to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and western Indian Ocean, but was formerly considered more widespread due to confusion with its relatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf grouper</span> Species of fish

The Gulf grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is endemic to Mexico.

The Mexican golden trout is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae. The species is endemic to high-elevation headwaters of the Fuerte River, Sinaloa River, and Culiacán River drainages in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cero (fish)</span> Species of fish

The cero, also known as the pintado, kingfish, cero mackerel, cerite or painted mackerel, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. More specifically, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels, and is the type species of the genus Scomberomorus. It is similar in appearance and coloration to the Atlantic Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus, except the cero has a longitudinal stripe in addition to the spots of the Atlantic Spanish mackerel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel</span> Species of fish

The narrow-barred Spanish mackerel is a mackerel of the family Scombridae found in a wide-ranging area in Southeast Asia, but as far west as the east coast of Africa and from the Middle East and along the northern coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, and as far east as the South West Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean mackerel</span> Species of fish

The Korean mackerel also known as the Korean seerfish, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. Within that family, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels. It has an Indo-Pacific distribution which extends from the east coast of India and Sri Lanka along the Asian continental shelf to Sumatra, then north to Korea and Wakasa Bay in the Sea of Japan. This species is of minor commercial importance in some parts of its range, where it is taken using gill nets and is marketed either fresh or dried-salted. The Korean mackerel is an important quarry species for the drift net fishery in Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese mackerel</span> Species of fish

The Chinese mackerel, also known as the Chinese seerfish, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. More specifically, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels. It is a marine species occurring in the Western Pacific Ocean, but it also enters the Mekong River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific sierra</span> Species of fish

The Pacific sierra also known as the Mexican sierra, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. More specifically, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels. It occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean from southern California to Antofagasta in Chile.

<i>Lophius budegassa</i> Species of fish

Lophius budegassa, the blackbellied angler or blackbellied monkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. This species is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Collette, B.; Acero, A.; Boustany, A.; Canales Ramirez, C.; Cardenas, G.; Carpenter, K.E.; Di Natale, A.; Die, D.; Fox, W.; Graves, J.; Hinton, M.; Juan Jorda, M.; Minte Vera, C.; Miyabe, N.; Montano Cruz, R.; Nelson, R.; Restrepo, V.; Schaefer, K.; Schratwieser, J.; Serra, R.; Yanez, E. (2011). "Scomberomorus concolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T20047A9138383. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T20047A9138383.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Payne, Harry Thom (1913). Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast. Library of Alexandria. p. 167. ISBN   978-1-4655-1207-9.
  3. "Scomberomorus concolor (Lockington, 1879)". FishBase. Retrieved 20 July 2016.