Florida King Mackerel Fishing
Family Scombridae, MACKERELS and TUNAS
Scomberomorous cavalla
Illustrations and Copyright by Diane Rome Peebles
Illustrations are for viewing purposes only.
Description: color of back iridescent bluish green; sides silvery, streamlined body with tapered head; no black pigment on front of dorsal fin; lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin; young fish often have yellow spots like those of the Spanish mackerel.
Similar Fish: cero, S. regalis; Spanish mackerel, S. maculatus.
Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE, occasionally taken from piers running into deep water.
Size: common to 20 pounds.
Florida Record: 90 lbs.
Remarks: schooling fish that migrates fom south Florida waters in winter to more northerly waters in spring; Gulf population thought to be separate from Atlantic population, with considerable mixing in winter from Cape Canaveral past Key West; spawns in midsummer OFFSHORE; feeds on small fish and squid.
For more about Florida saltwater fish please visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
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Member
of Indian River Guides Association (IRGA) an organization established in 2000 to
protect the waters and fishery of the Indian River Lagoon System. |
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