King Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel

Home , Cero (fish), King mackerel, Scomberomorus, Spanish mackerel

L ill ENVIRONMENT HISTORIES(UFLRDDETONAUABUREAU.. N OFEUREET RESOURCESPROFILES ST PETERSBURGOFCASA LIFE FL A172749 SPECIES F/O 6/3 L 7- UCSSFE N F GODCHARLES ET AL. JUN 86 KnmomollmRsuhnhELE~h F3mmmmomo AL 1111112.0

MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS-1963-A

I?.. - 'A -.L-1 ' .- BlologIcal Report 82 (11.58) TA EL-82-4

% Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes 'L ; Sand Invertebrates (South Florida) T ~j

KING AND SPANISH MACKEREL '<2 18

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Biological Report 82(11.58) TR EL-82-4 June 1986

Species Profiles: Life History and Environmental Requirements " of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (South Florida)

KING MACKEREL AND SPANISH MACKEREL

Mark F. Godcharles and Michael D. Murphy - Division of Marine Resources Florida Department of Natural Resources 100 8th Ave. S.E. St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Project Officer John Parsons I National Coastal Ecosystems Team U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1010 Gause Boulevard Slidell, LA 70458

Performed for Coastal Ecology Group Waterways Experiment Station U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg, MS 39180 and

National Coastal Ecosystems Team Research and Development " , , Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, DC 20240 ' . - . 4..,.-..-".-.- ".,'',

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Wild1. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. • ...... ,., ...... , .. : . ... This profile should be cited as follows: . •.

Godcharl es, M. F. , and M.D. Murphy. 1986. Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (south 0 Florida) -- king mackerel and Spanish mackerel. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11.58). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 18 pp..-.-.- -. V.45 V.. .I,

PREFACE (

., This species profile is one of a series on coastal aquatic organisms, ';'"-~-.'-.'- "-I, principally fish, of sport, commercial, or ecological importance. The profiles" '-i are designed to provide coastal managers, engineers, and biologists with a brief . comprehensive sketch of the biological characteristics and environmental requirements of the species and to describe how populations of the species may be J. ..' expected to react to environmental changes caused by coastal development. Each. .i profile has sections on taxonomy, life history, ecological role, environmental-'•--"' requirements, and economic importance, if applicable. A three-ring binder is , • used for this series so that new profiles can be added as they are prepared.,,.o... "] This project is jointly planned and financed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ' ~~. L".,". .A -., ~~Suggestions or questions regarding this report should be directed to one of ,... -- " ~the fo llow ing addresse s .. '- '. . -,

I ~Information Transfer Specialist.. . " U.S.~~National Fish Coastaland Wildlife Ecosystems Service" principalyo sport,,cmmercial:or fish, Team ecoloicalimpotance. Th;profile _ . NASA-S1lidellI Computtr Complex . ' ~~~~1010 SlPidellGause LA Boulevard70458 ,, ,-'.

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U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station autcogns,. ~~Attention: WESER-C .. Post Office Box 631 .Z; . Vicksburg, MS 39180 ' ; - - , :,,4•, .'.:4',. profleaxonmy, hs setionifehistry, on coloicalroleenvronmnta ,-.,". requiremie nts, and. economic:importance,-"-- if applicable.--.- :..A"..'-",'.:"-.-.":.:-.:.".-three-ring binder. ..,", is ..--.:-..::.: .'-:._-

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CONVERSION* TAL o

Metric~? to U.S Cutmr

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squaretr (ilmeers)k 0.337 inche le ceite rs ((1 ) 0.3937 inches J metceers (in) 3.31 feet ee kilometers (kin) %.24mls~. squre etesC 2) 0.76032 suaesfe hgcars (a) 2.43571 auces klters (9) 2.2602 gapons cubic etes (tn) 325.31 couicfee cubic mters 0.10011 acor-t kilIocal ori es (Ckcal) 3.968 British thermial units ~- %.4 %f% Celsius degrees 1.8('C) + 32 Fahrenheit degrees

U.S. Customary to Metric inches 25.40 millimeters inches 2.54 centimeters feet (ft) 0.3048 meters .. fatoms1.829 meters j.-e~. miles (mi) 1.609 kilometers nautical miles (rni) 1.852 kil1omneters square feet (ft 2) 0.0929 square meters ars2 0.4047 hectares square miles (mi )2.590 square kilometers gallons (gal) 3.785 liters cubic feet (f)0.02831 cubic metersE'lw A acre-feet 1233.0 cubic meters ounces (oz) 28.35 grains .. pounds (lb) 0.4536 kilIog ram s short tons (ton) 0.9072 metric tons British thermal units (Btu) 0.2520 kil1ocal ori es %.

Fahrenheit degrees 0.5556('F -32) Celsius degrees

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CONTENTS Page

PREFACE ...... i ii CONVERSION TABLE ...... iv _ . TABLES.TBE...... _'..,vi ...... Vi %'%,-.' ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... vii

NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE ...... 1 MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS ...... 3 . .. REASON FOR INCLUSION IN SERIES ...... 3 LIFE HISTORY ...... 3 Seasonal Distribution and Populations...... 3...... Spawning ...... 5 Maturity and Fecundity ...... 6 .,Longevity. Eggs,~Logviy Larvae, andn GrowthandGoth...... 8.P Juveniles . . ., .- ." ...... ,. 6 -'.t. a . COMMERCIAL AND SPORT FISHERIES ...... 9 ECOLOGICAL ROLE ...... 12 Food Habits ...... 12 13 ENVIRONMENTALENVROMETA.REUIEMNT...... 1Predators REQUIREMENTS...... - ...... 114 - Temperature ...... 14 Salinity...... 14

LITERATURE CITED ...... 15 aN 0" , - . . .

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TABLES

Number Page 1 Meristic characteristics of mackerels in Florida ...... 4

2 Regressions of fecundity on total weight and fork length for king mackerel and Spanish mackerel. . ."...... 7 3 Mean back-calculated fork lengths of king mackerel and Spanish mackerel ...... 8 4 Von Bertalanffy growth parameters for king mackerel and Spanish mackerel ...... 10

5 Length-weight relations for king mackerel and Spanish mackerel. . . 10

6 Florida commercial landings of king and Spanish mackerel in the " Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast, 1960-83 ...... 12

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We are grateful for reviews by J. Connor Davis, Florida Marine Fisheries Commission; Roy Williams, Florida Department of Natural Resources; Dr. Bill Seaman, University of Florida; and staff of the National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory in Panama City, FL.-0

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King mackerel

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Figure 1. King and Spanish mackerel (from Goode 1884).

KING MACKEREL AND SPANISH MACKEREL .- - '

NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE Geographic range: King mackerel inhabit Atlantic coastal waters Scientific name..Scomberomorus cavalla from the Gulf of Maine to Rio de (Cuvier) Janeiro, Brazil, including the Gulf Preferred common name... king mackerel of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (Figure 1) (Briggs 1958; Beaumariage 1973). ' - Other common names ...... kingfish, They are concentrated off the coast kings, serucho of the Carolinas in the spring, Scientific name...... Scomberomorus summer, and fall; in the northern maculatus (Mitchill) Gulf of Mexico from Texas to north- Preferred common name ...... Spanish west Florida in summer; and off mackerel (Figure 1) southern Florida and Louisiana in Class ...... Osteichthyes winter. The distributions and Order...... Perciformes concentrations in south Florida are Family ...... Scombridae shown in Figure 2.

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%AVERAL OCEAN SEATA S.t

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Coastal distribution 0 so - 100 S Areas of high concentration 0 50 100

Figure 2. Distribution of mackerel along the coast of South Florida.

2 . w ,%-Spanish mackerel inhabit coastal second fin is concave and originates a - waters of the western Atlantic Ocean short distance in front of the anal ". "."V % from the Gulf of Maine to the fin, which is similar in form and ' , Yucatan Peninsula (Collette et al. size. These are followed by eight or V , 1978). They are common as far north nine dorsal and anal finlets. The"-.i'- as Chesapeake Bay in summer (Bigelow lateral line is wavy, ' and the caudal,','-wZi ~. ., .--° and Schroeder 1953). Large schools peduncle is keeled. The caudal fin is ,_i are common in south Florida waters lunate, and the pectorals are not' 0 in late fall and winter (Figure 2). covered with scales. See Table 1 for " other key diagnostic characters. -.- .'

MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS Spanish mackerel are dark blue or"..... blue-green above, pale and silvery"-."--. below. Their sides are marked with';Z"'m King Mackerel many small, oblong, dull orange or . - yellowish spots that are prominent "'-.. The elongated, fusiform, com- both above and below the lateral line..-..--.: pressed body of king mackerel is 4.25 The membrane is black on the anterior to 5.00 times as long as the head, and one-third of the first dorsal fin and

5.50 to 6.25 times as long as it is the posterior is greenish-white. The *.,.. deephave (Berrientwo dorsal and Finanfins, 1977a).the secondThey aresecond pale dorsal yellow andwith thedusky pectoral edges. finsThe followed by eight or nine finletsh anal and ventral fins are white The lateak Bin summe (bigelw laerlrien and Finan 1977b)uda

.-- curvesandorsal fin,downward distinguishes below thethe secondking pdce s el. hculf i "'.-.'' mackerel from the Spanish mackerel and REASON FOR INCLUSION IN SERIES ar the cero mackerel (S. re (is). The caudal peduncle has aT arge fleshy King and Spanish mackerel support The body is entirely scaled bkeel.commercial and sport fisheries of with rudimentary scales, except for major importance. Both species in- most of ty pectoral fin. The mouth habit coastal waters but Spanish is large and oblique with the mackerel usually come closer to shore,

maxillaryslightly beyondreaching the eyeposteriorly orbit. Each'to outere.g. , watersalong theof beachesestuaries. and Inin the ". .,-'-m

side of the jaw has about 30 strongly summer, large solitary king mackerel -. compressed triangular teeth. This are sometimes captured off piers and species gets considerably larger than near deepwater inlets. Juvenile king "'.'.. the Spanish mackerel. mackerel sometimes mix with schools of .-.--. The dorsal surface of the king principallySpanish mackerel. on estuary- Both dependent species spe-feed "-""' mackerel is black with iridescent hues cies such as menhaden (Brevoortia of green and blue. The lateral and spp.) and anchovies (Anchoa spp.).-..,%. ventral sides are silvery white. The Excessive alterations of estuaries .... lateral yellow spotting on the young could reduce the production of coastal Z' ' -- is almost always absent on mature forage fish on which .- specimens (Berrien and Finan 1977a). mackerel feed. king and Spanish_.. theSpnih.mckre. mckre soetme-mi-wthschol-o ,"Spanish"mackerel. Both species feed Spanish Mackerel LIFE HISTORYsupport Th drslsufae fth"knpiniply n"suay-epnen se Spanish mackerel have compressed, Seasonal Distribution and Populations makeelisblckwihelongated bodies about rdecet.ue4.5 to 5.0 cesott suh as mehaen (Bevoric ofgenadbu. h aea n sp) ad acoie Aco p....''•%, ventral...time of thesie asare. a ilvry.otheyare hitdeep. .hThe ExesvKin mackerel.alterations Extensive of estuaries...... taggingckerel.. first dorsal fin is a teeth. the studies indicate that there are at ,."-" """ slateral."", e yellow".t nspotting.','," a on"l "-the rn' young could,d reduce' w the--i production''-,'',-'- s v of'-"-"coastal-""'--"-'-"-'e ": - *%~..4. ~ -~ *°.*.*.%~ * - j. . %,, " .,.

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of mackerels in Florida (Mago-Leccia 1958). - Table . Meristic characteristics -. 4- °. •

King Spanish Cero .. ° Characteri sti c mackerel mac kerel mac kerel ""-'- - ." .- .•°-.

Total number of vertebrae 42-43 52-53 47-49 First closed haemal arch ' " at vertebra number 10 13-15 12,." . First haemal spine atmac ere'ma ke el ack re

vertebra number 18-19 22-24 20-21

Dorsal spines 15-16 16-18 16-18

- Dorsal rays 16-17 15-18 16

Dorsal finlets 8-9 8-9 8-9 -"

Anal spines 2 2 2

Anal rays 14-17 15-17 14-15

Anal finlets 8-10 8-9 8

Upper limb 1 2-3 3-4 .

Angle 1 1 1 Gill rakers Lower limb 6-7 10-12 11-13

Total 8-9 13-15 15-18

least two migratory groups of king Williams and Sutherland 1979; mackerel. Those tagged in the winter Sutherland and Fable 1980). south of Cape Canaveral, Florida, usually moved southward through the A second group of king mackerel, Florida Keys, entered the Gulf of tagged in the spring off southeast Mexico in late winter and spring, and Florida, moved northward in the summer . . then continued northward along the along the Atlantic coast to the s'.'. west Florida Continental Shelf. Some Carolinas. One was recaptured as far were recaptured as far west as Texas north as Chincoteague, Virginia. King Map 4 and a few as far south as Veracruz and mackerel tagged in South Carolina in Yucatan, Mexico. These western the spring generally moved south in migrants, some tagged off the coasts May through August and were recap- of Texas and northwest Florida in the tured in Florida that summer. In the summer, returned to south Florida in fall they migrated to the northern the winter (Williams and Taylor 1978; limit of their distribution, and many .

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were recaptured in North Carolina Spawning (Williams and Sutherland 1979; VV . Williams and Godcharles 1983). Kino mackerel. This species spawns in the coastal waters of the v ,_-% northern Gulf of Mexico, and off the

Preliminary electrophoretic anal- south Atlantic coast (Dwinell and,% % P yses of 48 enzymes extracted from king Futch 1973; McEachran et al. 1980; mackerel tissues (heart, liver, eye, Burns 1981; Powles, unpubl. MS.). .1.• .4 and muscle) give evidence that there Because of a protracted spawning are two populations of king mackerel. season, larvae have been collected by % Variation of two alleles for the pep- sampling gear from May through tidase with glycylleucine-2 locus October. Catches were highest in gave the greatest differences between September. The paucity of larvae in South Carolina and Texas specimens; the eastern Gulf of Mexico south of however, other loci were minimally Cape San Blas, off the Yucatan Channel polymorphic and of limited value for and southeast Florida, indicates mini- ,-'A separating populations (May, unpubl. mal spawning in these waters (Wollam .- MS.). Homing tendencies are additional 1970; Houde et al. 1979; Burns 1981). evidence of two populations. After a year or more of freedom, king mackerel King mackerel larvae were discov- usually are recaptured at or near ered off northwest Florida and Texas their release site at about the same between the Middle and Outer (35-183 . time of year they were first tagged m) Continental Shelf (Dwinell and .. (Williams and Godcharles 1983). Futch 1973; McEachran et al. 1980). Larvae captured near Palm Beach, .- - Florida, were closer to shore than Spanish mackerel. Spanish mack- those captured farther north off Cape - - erel are also migratory, generally Canaveral, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, moving northward each spring, spending and Cape Fear, North Carolina. North .. .' summer in the northern part of their of Cape Canaveral, larvae were found ... range, and migrating south in fall. near or off the shelf along the 200 m In spring, summer, and fall, they are depth contour and near the Gulf Stream - most abundant in the northern Gulf of (Wollam 1970; Burns 1981; Powles, Mexico and along the east coast of the unpubl. MS.). United States up to Virginia (Wollam 1970; Dwinell and Futch 1973; Powell Further evidence of protracted 1975). Their major wintering grounds spawning for king mackerel is the are off south Florida, but some over- holding of vitellogenic eggs (eggs -... winter off the east coast of Mexico with forming yolk) from May through (Mendoza 1968; Sutherland and Fable October (Beaumariage 1973). Multiple 1980). spawning is suggested by bimodal distributions of mean oocyte diameter of yolkbearing vitellogenic (stage 4) Spanish mackerel from different eggs. The first mode was in late May geographic areas may mix in south through early July and the second was Florida during the winter. In summer, in late July and early August. The the south Atlantic and eastern Gulf of appearance of spent males from ,- i Mexico populations spawn in isolation September through December coincided in the northern parts of their ranges with a commensurate absence of vitel- (Wollam 1970). Electrophoretic pat- logenic eggs beginning in August, terns of two hemoglobin phenotypes suggesting a final climactic spawn. demonstrated that northwestern gulf fish are distinct from fish captured Spanish mackerel. Spanish along the U.S. east coast (Skow and mackerel also spawn over a protracted Chittenden 1981). season (Powell 1975). Ripe females S * .< , 5

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have been collected from April through FL, Age I, 0.68 kg) to 12,207,000 September in Florida waters (Klima (1,489 mm FL, Age XIII, 25.6 kg). The 1959; Powell 1975; Finucane and best indicator of fecundity is the Collins, unpubl. MS.). Larvae have total weight of the fish (Finucane et been collected from spring until late al. unpubl. MS). Fecundity-weight summer in the eastern Gulf of Mexico equations are listed in Table 2. (Dwinell and Futch 1973; Houde et al. 1979), and from May through mid- Spanish mackerel in south Florida September from Cape Fear, North become sexually mature in their second - Carolina, to Cape Canaveral, Florida and third year of life (Ages I and II) (Powles, unpubl. MS.). when about 250 to 350 mm FL. In southeast Florida, the length of most The onset of spawning progresses mature males and females ranges be- ,- ' - from south to north. Spawning begins tween 325 and 349 mm FL; all fish in April in the Caroltnas, in mid-June larger than 375 mm FL were mature. ..0 in Chesapeake Bay, and from late Klima (1959) found mature females as August to late September off Sandy small as 250 mm FL and mature males Hook, New Jersey, and Long Island, New between 280 and 340 mm FL. He esti- York (Earll 1883). Beaumariage (1970) mated that most of these fish were 1 I" reported that few mackerel spawned at or 2 years old. On the other hand, , - water temperatures below 26 *C. In Powell (1975) reported that Klima r.10 Texas, mackerel spawned when water overestimated all ages by one year - temperatures exceeded 25 °C and at because he misread the first annulus; - salinities between 30 and 36 ppt therefore, fish less than 1 year old (Hoese 1965). Spanish mackerel may have been mature. Many Age I fish .'... .' apparently spawn at night (Earll 1883; had ripe oocytes, but observations in - Smith 1907). the April-September spawning season suggested that the eggs of Age I fish Collections of small larvae were not advanced enough to be spawned indicate that Spanish mackerel spawn that season (Powell 1975). Spanish over the Inner Continental Shelf in mackerel Age III and older consti- waters 12-34 m deep (McEachran et al. tute the bulk of the spawning stock. 1980). In the northeastern Gulf of Mexico off northwest Florida, most The fecundity of Spanish mackerel larvae were collected in water (Table 2) in southeast Florida in- shallower than 13 m, although some creases with increasing length and were in water as deep as 91.5 m weight (Finucane and Collins, unpubl. '. (Dwinell and Futch 1973). All larvae MS.). Egg number estimates ranged .. collected along the west coast of from 194,000 to 1,491,000 for females

- - Florida by Houde et al. (1979) were 354 to 664 mm FL. Earll (1883) re- ,E- - taken inside the 50 m depth contour; ported 1.5 million eggs from a 6-1b most were within the 20 m contour. (2.7-kg) female collected from Chesapeake Bay. .'.--. . Maturit-and.FeundityEggs,~Maturity and Fecundity Larvae, and Juveniles In south Florida, most male king " '

mackerel probably spawn in their Examination of king and Spanish --% fourth year of life (Age III) when mackerel larvae 2.0 to 2.9 mm standard about 718 mm fork length (FL); most length (SL) offered diagnostic aids females spawn at Age IV when about 857 for separating the larvae based on mm FL (Beaumariage 1973). Finucane et pigment (melanophore) differences in al. (unpubl. MS.) reported mature fe- the jaw, head, and nape areas males about 600 mm FL distributed from (Richardson and McEachran 1981). The Texas to the Carolinas, with egg count myomere counts, mouth, teeth, preoper- estimates ranging from 69,000 (446 mm cular spines, fin elements, and pig-

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2. Regressions of fecundity (F) on total weight (TW) and fork length (FL) for king mackerel (Finucane et al., unpubl. MS.) and Spanish mackerel; r is the correlation coefficient (Finucane and Collins, unpubl. MS.). " 2Number of w Equation 100r2 fish of

KING MACKEREL (SOUTHEAST U.S.) F = 1.854 x 10 (TW) 1.361 85.6 65

- F = 4.391 x 10 6 (FL) 3.974 82.0 64 "

SPANISH MACKEREL (SOUTHEAST FLORIDA) .

F = 9.076 x 102 (TW) 0.919 94.1 11 F = 1.027 x 102 (FL) 2.863 92.5 11

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mentation of larger king mackerel inside the egg between the chorion and , - .: m=larvae (3.3 to 17.0 mm SL) were de- the oil globule) is about 0.1 mm scribed by Wollam (1970). King mack- across, and the oil globule is 0.25 mm -.. , erel eggs have not yet been described. in diameter. Hatching takes place . " ' after about 25 h at a temperature of ' King mackerf 1. Because most king 26 °C (Smith 1907). Larvae longer ?N-0,T_ mceelaveare collected near the than 3 mm SL were described by Wollam ". , surface, the refinement of quantita- (1970). Most larvae have been col- Ir. tive sampling techniques to collect lected in coastal waters of the Gulf larvae 3 mm SL (about 3 days old) of Mexico (Wollam 1970; McEachran et %€ % would aid in the delineation of el. 1980) and the east coast of the .. .% spawning grounds (McEachran et al. United States (Powles, unpubl. MS.)." ', 1980). In the gulf, mackerel larvae "';' have been taken at surface salinities Juvenile Spanish mackerel have -Z € and temperatures from 27 to 36 ppt and been collected from low salinity 26 to 31 *C, and in the south Atlantic estuaries and high salinity beach >.'..' ~~between 30 and 37 ppt and 22 to 28 °C waters. A Spanish mackerel 58 mm long "'"°'- (Owl nel I and Futch 1973; Powles, was col lected from Sabot Pond,,...-" ...... " % P_ . .. . ~~unpubl. MS.). Louisiana, at a salinity of 0.2 ppt', .;- _ . ~~~(Kelley 1965). Juveniles (133 to 158,-. , -' Spanish mackerel. The eggs and mm SL) were collected along high sall- newly hatched larvae of Spanish mack- nity (33.8 ppt) beaches and low mall- II "m erel have been described by Ryder inity (12.8 to 19.7 ppt) bayous in 1%"-% O (1882). The eggs are pelagic, smooth, Tampa Bay, Florida (Springer and Wood- ., and transparent, with a single oil burn 1960). Apparently, some juvenile % . droplet. Eggs are round and about 1 Spanish mackerel use estuaries as , , , mm (0.9 - 1.3 mm) in diameter; the nursery grounds, but most stay near- _-.. .. perivitelline space (the clear space shore in open beach waters. , -!

% %. %.. -.

Longevity and Growth The von Bertalanffy growth equation is as follows: Kina mackerel. Although Beau- mariage (1973) estimated age, growth, it = LD(1 - exp(-K(t to))) and mortality of king mackerel, recent.--ep(.Kt - ,), estimates (Johnson et al. 1983) are where 1 is length at age t, L is probably more accurate because the asymptotic length, K is the growth data base included more of the larger coefficient, and t is the age when and older king mackerel collected from the theoretical len~th is zero (Table North Carolina to Texas. Most of 4).(Tb Beaumariage's (1973) specimens came from winter collections in South Both Beaumariage (1973) and Florida. The mean back-calculated Johnson et al. (1983) aged king mack- fork lengths are listed in Table 3. erel by using otoliths. Although

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Table 3. Mean back-calculated fork lengths (mm) of king mackerel (Beaumariage 1973; Johnson et al. 1983) and Spanish mackerel (Kilma 1959; Powell 1975). Beaumariage's lengths were converted to fork lengths using his relation FL = 1.096(SL) - 17.143. Powell's lengths were converted by using his relation FL = 1.073(SL) + 2.427. Lengths for female king mackerel reported by Johnson et al. (1983) excluded Louisiana specimens. .. .4

.. 4.. Males Females - Age Beaumariage Johnson et al. Beaumariage Johnson et al. <.- :- (1973) (1983) (1973) (1983) b King mackerel

1 457 414 491 434 .. II 643 613 703 652 " II 705 689 793 747 IV 752 734 857 807 V 795 777 928 854 :% VI 822 809 986 899 VII 839 851 1033 939 VIII 897 998 IX 943 1021 X 1034

Males Females Age Kilma Powell Kilma Powell - (1959) (1975) (1959) (1975)

Spanish mackerel

1 178 337 186 373 % II 309 421 348 481 , 11I 404 460 464 542 IV 492 490 582 580 % V 512 511 602 622

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there was good correlation between the about equal to the average length of growth of otoliths and length of fish, Age I fish reported by Powell (1975). neither study clearly demonstrated One author probably misread the first that opaque otolith growth rings were annulus. Growth parameters for each valid indicators of age (Powers and sex are in Table 4. A ,,.' Eldridge, unpubl. MS. a). Spanish mackerel of the same age Females live longer than males are smaller in the southwestern Gulf and usually grow faster after Age II of Mexico than in south Florida (Table 3). The oldest females col- (Powell 1975). Mendoza (1968) and Doi lected were 14 years of age or older: and Mendizabal (1979) also used a 1.4 m FL fish from Louisiana otoliths to determine age, but the (Johnson et al. 1983) and a 90 lb data for both sexes were combined. % 6,

(40.8 kg) fish from Key West Mendoza (1968) reported average fork __.... (Beaumariage, unpubl. data). The lengths (FL) of 333, 408, 471, 543, oldest male (979 mm SL) was 12 years and 593 mm for Ages II-VI, respec- old (Johnson et al. 1983). tively, and an estimated asymptotic length of 860 mm FL. Estimated King mackerel growth is highly average total lengths (TL) reported by variable. For example, females 850 to Doi and Mendizabal (1979) for Ages 899 mm FL could be 1 to 8 years old; I-VI were 262, 426, 475, 512, 575, and males about the same size could be 3 638 mm, respectively. A. 0 to 8 years old. Johnson et al. (1983) suggested that compensatory growth occurs in "slow growing" fish during The life span of Spanish mackerel their second year when their growth is about 5 to 8 years (Klima 1959; . increment surpasses that of "fast Powell 1975; Doi and Mendizabal 1979). "I IPZ I - growers." Nevertheless, "slow The total annual mortality rate based - growing" mackerel remain smaller than on Powell's (1975) data was estimated "fast growers" throughout their lives, at 0.62 (GM&SAFMC 1982), which approx- imates the rate calculated by Doi and Equations relating weight to Mendizabal (1979) for Spanish mackerel length of king and Spanish mackerel taken off the Mexican coast (0.59). are listed in Table 5. The total Weight-length relations for Spanish annual mortality estimate by Johnson mackerel are given in Table 5. et al. (1983) was 0.37; Beaumariage (1973) reported 0.54.

Spanish mackerel. The growth of COMMERCIAL AND SPORT FISHERIES larval and juvenile Spanish mackerel has not been measured in the labor- King Mackerel atory. The protracted spawning season makes it difficult to estimate growth Florida has historically produced from length distributions. Hildebrand about 90% of the king mackerel commer- and Cable (1938) collected larvae 4 mm cial landings in the United States long as early as June off North (Table 6). The species is also highly .-. : Carolina; some juveniles were 80 mm regarded as a sport fish. Sport fish- long by October. ermen in the south Atlantic region are . q estimated to have caught 598,000 king-7V By determining age and growth mackerel in 1979 and 1,370,000 in from otoliths in south Florida, Powell 1980. In the gulf, about 600,000 were (1975) and Klima (1959) reported that taken in 1979 and 1 million in 1980 females grow faster than males (Table (Trent et al. 1983). At times, keen -. '-,, 3). The average length of Age II fish competition for this resource has led reported by Klima (1959), however, is to serious user conflicts. 4_-____ 9

e.:r-.%-:e * P%4

, "# .', ., ".,w , .. ". ", , # "4 ,,S,f ,,, W £, .# , F w. : .", " w w . .? , . .. ,', a' ',• ,

Table 4. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters for king mackerel (Beaumariage 1973; Johnson et al. 1983) and Spanish mackerel (Powell 1975). Johnson et al. did not include large, mostly female fish captured off Louisiana in data used to estimate growth parameters. Beaumariage's and Powell's estimates of asymptotic length -, (L ) were converted to fork lengths by using their length-length regressions (Table 3). K is the growth coefficient. ]%1%

Species Growth parameters V"4'"% and sex K L0,(mm FL) t (years) Source % % %

King mackerel -. Males 0.35 903 -2.50 Beaumariage 1973 - 0.28 965 -1.17 Johnson et al. 1983 Females 0.21 1,243 -2.40 Beaumariage 1973 0.29 1,067 -0.97 Johnson et al. 1983

Spanish mackerel Males 0.48 555 -1.12 Powell 1975 Females 0.45 694 -0.78 Powell 1975 ' ,

,%. w, e '.

'. *._% 4. .% ,'" J" 4 Table 5. Length-weight relations for king mackerel and Spanish mackerel. .' " I .-.V.-"' Weights (W) are in grams and lengths (L) in millimeters.,..

Species Length Number of W =aLb ..;,. ,-e' and sex measure* fish a b Source

King mackerel % ---- "--5".""

- Females SL 292 3.907 x 10 3.1256 Beaumariage 1973 ;;., - FL 2,023 0.8801 x 10 5 2.9827 Johnson et al. 1983 , Ta-mSpanish mackerel.ack

Males SL 135 1.1519 x 10 " 2.9822 Powell 1975 . ,--, ,- Females SL 217 4.7491 x 10- 3.1373 Powell 1975 , King mckere *St= Standard lengths.., , FL = Fork length. Nb o" -, % ",- -. Males.%- - , SL . 27 .30 •-,, x 10 % . 7 Beaumariage. 1973'-'".-.., . .- -

p. ~~~~10•"- - ,, "

adsx0ur fih aSor - ~~. ./ ?°$

, . .'. .

Major commercial catches along Small numbers are caught as an inci- the Florida east coast are centered dental or supplemental commercial between Cape Canaveral and Palm Beach, species off the coasts of Alabama, and on the west coast from Key West to Mississippi, Louisiana, North .e.d. Naples (Beaumariage 1973). Although Carolina, and, to a smaller extent, . king mackerel support a year-round Georgia and South Carolina. fishery, most are caught in winter and early spring. The percentages of the Spanish mackerel are primarily . total catch taken from 1950 to 1974 captured with gill nets deployed from along the east coast of Florida were small boats 20 to 22 ft long, and with 67% by trolling, 29% by runaround gill power rollers used on large boats 30 nets, and 4% by handlines. The per- to 60 ft long. Since 1976, commercial centages for the west coast were 56% production on the gulf coast has fluc- for runaround gill nets, 34% for tuated between 1.5 and 3.5 million Ib, trolling, 6% for handlines, and 4% for and production on the Atlantic coast . Purseother seiningmethods has(Trent recently et al.been 1983). per- millionhas fluctuated lb (Table between 6). The3.4 causes and of11 ' '" mitted in Federal waters (GM&SAFMC fluctuation in catch cannot be identi-

" 1982). fied because there are no catch-per- unit-of-effort data. Major changes in the locations and the intensity of fishing in Flori- Spanish mackerel also are an - - da have taken place since about 1960. important species for the private boat . The east coast center of production and charter boat sport fishery along has gradually shifted northward from the gulf and south Atlantic coasts. Dade County toward Volusia County and Most anglers fish from private boats, a spring fishery of major importance although good catches are made from has developed off Palm Beach County charter boats, fishing piers, and - 1 near Jupiter and Juno (Williams and beach fishing (Deuel 1973). : Godcharles 1983). As a result of - higher dockside prices, fishing The limited sport statistics sug- efforts increased sharply: from 1969 gest that 1979 commercial landings on ... to 1977 there was a three-fold the Atlantic coast were double the %' increase in hook-and-line vessels, sport catch. On the gulf coast, how- 100 to 300, and gill net vessels, 12 ever, the sport catch was probably 50% to 33 (GM&SAFMC 1982). By 1983, the higher than the commercial catch number of gill net vessels had risen (GM&SAFMC 1982). to about 80, and the larger net boat fleet had moved onto fishing grounds Fisheries Management Plan. The that had formerly been used princi- Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for pally by trollers and handliners. In coastal pelagic fish species, includ- addition, the net fleet has increased ing mackerel, was implemented in March its efficiency through the use of 1983 by the Gulf of Mexico and South .. spotter airplanes, monofilament net Atlantic Fishery Management Councils construction, larger and deeper nets (GM&SAFMC). Quotas based on theoreti- -., mechanically retrieved by power cal yields partitioned according to rollers, and electronic equipment. historical landings were established for the commercial hook-and-line w. m (3,877,200 lb), net (5,122,800 lb), Spanish mackerel. This species and sport (28,000,000 lb) fisheries, is of major commercial importance in and were in effect from 1 July 1982 to south Florida (Klima 1959; Powell 30 June 1983. In May 1983, the com- %.% 1975). The main fishing areas are the mercial hook-and-line fishery was Florida Keys and the Atlantic coast officially closed when that quota was between Palm Beach and Cape Canaveral. attained. This early closure was ' 11o

Z. r-.4. % -..

______. -~*.*.* -~~-.*.~ .~- % .-. --.- ;.- °% Table 6. Florida commercial landings (thousands of pounds) of king and Spanish mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast, 1960-83 (NMFS Annual Landings).

Gulf of Mexico Atlantic King Spanish King Spanish Year mackerel mackerel mackerel mackerel

1960 1,785 5,435 1,807 2,282 , w'= 1961 1,683 3,988 2,076 3,158 [; 1962 2,021 6,869 2,076 2,578 1963 2,817 5,405 2,173 2,123 1964 1,314 3,880 2,020 2,002 1965 1,898 4,883 2,549 2,901 1966 2,633 7,004 1,782 2,181 . 1967 3,084 5,867 2,988 1,802 1968 3,604 7,066 2,586 4,406 1969 3,242 8,175 2,943 2,359 1970 2,372 8,100 4,338 3,574 1971 2,738 7,383 2,907 2,582 1972 1,378 6,532 3,489 3,369 1973 2,217 6,194 3,712 3,203 1974 6,133 8,267 4,267 2,346 1975 2,622 5,621 3,697 5,145 .," . .' N .*

1976 2,801 7,783 4,821 9,589 4i 4W 1977 4,950 2,393 3,236 10,987 .' V- 1978 1,745 1,478 3,402 3,424 1979 1,691 1,946 3,346 4,886 1980 3,002 1,770 3,073 9,811 1981 3,073 3,550 4,858 4,174 1982 1,966 3,287 4,383 3,759 1983 1,250 3,287 3,066 5,945

attributed to increased catches in established by the fisheries manage- North Carolina (0.7 million lb) and ment plan (GM&SAFMC 1982). Sport and Louisiana (1.2 million lb). These new commercial catch developments in conjunction with National Marine statisticsFisheries fromService the -. ::/ decreasing catches in south Florida reveal that only about half of the are currently under review by the maximum sustainable yield was landed GM&SAFMC. Recent studies suggest that in 1979. increased catches are related to strong year classes, that more than L one migratory group exists, and that a ..- ,.,.,, maximum sustainable yield of 37.7 ECOLOGICAL ROLE million lb may have been overestimated " .. ' (Powers and Eldridge, unpubl. MS. a, Food Habits b; Williams and Godcharles 1983). King and Spanish mackerel juve- A maximum sustainable yield of 27 niles and adults are primarily pelagic million lb for Spanish mackerel was carnivores. Analysis of the stomach 12 " :

• .-- - °..- ~~~~~~~~~...... - ., . . ,. ,...... ,...... •...... ".."° .-..% %' -

contents of 84 juvenile king mackerel mackerel were about the same size: (103-309 mm FL) from Cape Canaveral, 100 to 150 mm FL (Saloman and Naughton 130 Spanish mackerel (117-432 m FL) 1983a). from Cape Canaveral, and 214 Spanish mackerel from Galveston Bay revealed The food of adult king and that juveniles of both species were Spanish mackerel is similar. Klima principally piscivorous, but king (1959) examined 190 Spanish mackerel mackerel showed a greater preference stomachs and reported that 76% con- for invertebrates. Anchovies (Anchoa tained herringlike fishes, principally spp.), menhaden (Brevoortia 3 the scaled sardine and Atlantic thread and Atlantic thread herring herring. Shrimp (Penaeus spp.), (Opisthonema oglinum) were the domi- mullet (Mugil spp., needlefish nant forage of the mackerels. Much (Stronaylura spp.), and anchovies were less common were mugilids, sciaenids, less abundant. In Texas, Miles and carangids, and eleotrids. Squid was Simmons (1951) examined 2,274 Spanish P the major invertebrate prey for both mackerel stomachs containing food, and

species. Juveniles fed heavily on found that 30% contained menhaden. _. . ' anchovies, as shown by their frequency Kemp (1950), also working in Texas, of occurrence (19%-39%) and volume reported the contents of 611 Spanish (30%-54%) in mackerel stomachs. The mackerel stomachs: 13% contained body shape of anchovies appears to shrimp; 5%, squid; 9%, ribbonfish; 1%, make them highly suitable prey for menhaden; 1%, other species; and the . juvenile mackerel (Naughton and remainder, unidentifiable. The round Saloman 1981). scad (Decapterus punctatus) was also listed as a food of the Spanish mack- King mackerel feed mostly on erel (Anderson and Gehringer 1957). schooling fish, secondarily on crusta- i fl#~i ceans, and minimally on mollusks. The dominant prey by number (59%) were Stomachs of 6,933 Spanish mack- clupeids (Atlantic thread herring) and erel (64% were empty) were examined scaled sardines, Harengula Jaguana. from the northern Gulf of Mexico, from %-'" The minor fish prey (8%)were species east central Florida, and from the of Carangidae, Lutjanidae, Pomadasyi- Carolinas. In volume, anchovies made " *.. dae (Haemulidae), Sparidae, and up 96% of the food in Texas and 99% in Triglidae. Invertebrates, particu- east central Florida (Saloman and larly squid and shrimps, made up 33% Naughton 1983b). Anchovies also made of the diet (Beaumariage 1973). up 94% of the diet by number in .. Louisiana and 98% in North and South % In south Florida, the king mack- Carolina. The predominance of an- erel fed primarily on the ballyhoo, chovies, herring, and small jacks in Hemiramphus brasiliensis, followed by the Spanish mackerel diet demonstrates lutjanids (five species), clupeids, major predation on small, schooling scombrids, mugilids (two species), and pelagic fishes. serranids (Saloman and Naughton % 1983a). The invertebrates eaten were mostly penaeid shrimp and some squid Predators and nematodes. In east central Florida, clupeids (principally the Larvae and juveniles of king and, Spanish sardine, (Sardinella aurita) principally, Spanish mackerel have were the dominant fish prey. --Fer been identified as prey for the little prey were anchovies, mullet, flying tunny, Euthynnus alletteratus, and fish, drum, and jacks. Squid was the dolphin, oryaena hi purus (Carlson major invertebrate food; others were 1952; Klawe 1961; Dragovich 1969; Rose nematodes, penaeid shrimp, and iso- and Hassler 1974). Relatively large pods. Most fish eaten by adult king king and Spanish mackerel are eaten by 13 -

U . ,

,o Oo . A i ,..-- ..." -..-.

%-'." Z . ;' - ,. ,..,-.-..

• % ..* . .- QI

pelagic sharks, little tunny, and erel have been reported as far north 0 dolphins. The bottlenose dolphin as North Bay, Massachusetts (Arnold V e (Tursioes truncatus) interferes with 1951). According to Earll (1883), . commercial fishing by pirating king water temperatures of 21 to 27 *C are mackerel hooked on trolling lines and preferred by the Spanish mackerel; in nets (Cato and Prochaska 1976). rarely are they observed in waters ' Sharks sometimes interfere with gill cooler than 18 OC. net sets by eating mackerel caught in the mesh. The most common shark spe- The arrival of king mackerel off ""'"" cies are the tiger shark, Galeocerdo west central Florida in the spring - cuvieri; bull shark, Carcharhinus depends on changes in water tempera- leucas; dusky shark, C. obscurus; ture and on the preceding winter's air - smooth hammerhead, Sphyrna zaena; temperature (Williams and Taylor

shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus; 1980). Furthermore, sport catch data O -. lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris; from northwest Florida indicate that and porbeagle, Lamna nasus (Bigelow catch-per-hour is usually higher "-..-. and Schroeder 1 , CTrk and von following warm winters and lower Schmidt 1965; GM&SAFMC 1982). following cold winters (Fable et al. 1981).

Salinit ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS All life stages of king and Temperature Spanish mackerel usually inhabit waters within salinities of 32 to 36 Temperature and salinity are be- ppt. Spanish mackerel usually avoid lieved to be the most important fac- freshwater or low salinities near the tors governing the distribution of the mouths of rivers (Earll 1883). Ex- two mackerels. Their northern range ceptions were reported by Tagatz and extends only to the 20 *C isotherm Dudley (1961), who collected young within the 18 m depth contour (Munro Spanish mackerel in a salinity of 4.7 - . 1943; Berrien and Finan 1977a). Their ppt in the Neuse River, North - , ~northern range limit is in the vici- Carolina. Other investigators have nity of Block Island, Rhode Island reported juveniles in low salinities - .-..- (Beaumariage 1970). During years of (17.8 ppt, Springer and Woodburn 1960; warm water temperatures, Spanish mack- 0.2 ppt, Kelley 1965). .

.. _-.,

* 4 14 * -'V '. %

.',,N ,r'.,.6"%

6q_,__ _ _,__ _"_ r'x~ 1"I 2 lie• % low

LITERATURE CITED .

Anderson, W.W., and J.W. Gehringer. sharks). Sears Foundation for Marine .-. ' 1957. Physical oceanography, Research, New Haven, Conn. 546 pp. biological, and chemical data, South Atlantic coast of the United States, Bigelow, H.B., and W.C. Schroeder.- " Theodore N. Gill cruise 3. U.S. 1953. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. ". -'-.' Fish Wildl. Serv. Spec. Sci. Rep. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Fish. Bull. .•.: #- Fish. 210. 208 pp. 53. 577 pp. ;...._ *"N ,. Arnold, E.L., Jr. 1951. Northward Burns, K.M. 1981. Seasonal and areal dispersal of warm-water fishes in distribution of scombrid larvae in

southern New England during the the vicinity of Palm Beach, Florida.: .,_ summer of 1949. Copeia M.A. Thesis. University of South 1951(1):87-88. Florida, Tampa. 66 pp. Beaumariage, O.S. 1970. Current sta- Briggs, J.C. 1958. A list of Florida tus of biological investigations of fishes and their distribution. Florida's mackerel fisheries. Proc. Bull. Fla. State Mus. Biol. Sci. . Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst., 22nd 2(8). 318 pp. • Annual Meeting, 1969:79-86. Carlson, C.B. 1952. Exploratory Beaumariage, D.S. 1973. Age, growth, fishing for the little tuna and reproduction of king mackerel, (Euthynnus alletteratus) off the Scomberomorus cavalla, in Florida. Atlantic coast of the United Fla. Mar. Res-T u-1. 1. 45 pp. States. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst., 4th Annu. Session 1951:89-94. Berrien, P., and D. Finan. 1977a. Cato, J.C., and F.J. Prochaska. 1976. Biological and fisheries data on Porpoise attacking hooked fish irk king mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla and injure Florida fisherman. Natl." (Cuvier). U.S. Natl. Mar. F sh Fisherman 56(9):3b, 16b. Serv., Sandy Hook Lab. , Highlands, N.J. Tech. Ser. Rep. 8. 40 pp. Clark, E., and K. von Schmidt. 1965. Sharks of the central Gulf coast of Berrien P., and D. Finan. 1977b. Florida. Bull. Mar. Sci. 15:13-83. ... ' Biological and fisheries data .'- on Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus Collette, B.B., J.L. Russo, and L.A. maculatus (Mitchill). U.S. Natl. Zavala-Camin. 1978. Scomberomorus Mar. Fish. Serv., Sandy Hook Lab., brasiliensis, a new species of Highlands, N.J. Tech. Ser. Rep. 9. Spanish mackerel from the western 52 pp. Atlantic. U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv. Fish. Bull. 76(1):273-280. ,.' Bigelow, H.B., and W.C. Schroeder. 1948. Fishes of the western North Deuel, D.G. 1973. The 1970 salt- Atlantic (lancelets, cyclostomes, water angling survey. U.S. Natl."..--•4"

. ,.

;:;--.1-.: : -- :,; ---..-. .. "...': :" "" AA

L' % •.* % V.

Mar. Fish. Serv. Curr. Fish. Stat. Scomberomorus cavalla, from the 6200. 54 pp. southeastern United States. U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Panama City, Doi, T., and D. Mendizabal. 1979. Fla. 28 pp. (unpubl. MS.) Evaluacion preliminar de la pobla- cion de sierra, Scomberomorus mculatus (Michrra, fromen os Goode, G. B. 1884. The fisheries and costasmaculatusfisheries de Veracruz. Proceedings: fihre industriesinutesoteUied..I of the United costsVeacrz. d rocedigs:States. Section 1. Natural history mackerelcolloquium resources on the Spanishof the andGulf king of ofofauefu useful aquaticaqtic animals.animal U.S..'-Uis. . - . Government Printing Office, is, Mexico. Gulf States Mar. Fish. Comm. Washington, D.C. No. 4:43-55. Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Dragovich, A. 1969. Review of studies of tuna food in the Atlantic Ocean. Fsr Mamtocs U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Spec. Sci. (GM&SAFMC). 1982. Fishery manage- Rep. Fish. 593. 21 pp. ment plan/final environmental impact statement/regulatory impact review/ - K, draft regulations for the coastal Dwinell, S.E., and C.R. Futch. 1973. pelagic resources (mackerels) in the - Spanish and king mackerel larvae Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic and juveniles in the northeastern region. Tampa, Fla. (GMFMC), and Gulf of Mexico, June through Charleston, S.C. (SAFMC). October, 1969. Fla. Dep. Nat. Resour. Mar. Res. Lab. Leafl. Ser. Hildebrand, S.F., and L.E. Cable. S.. an E Cle 4(24). 14 pp.Hidbad 1938. Further notes on the develop- Earll, R.E. 1883. The Spanish mack- ment and life history of some . erl, R.E. 1883. TheSpanishcmack-teleosts at Beaufort, N.C. Bull. .-.- erel, Cybium maculatum (Mitch.), U.S. Bur. Fish. 48(24):505-642. Ag. ; its natural history and artifi- cial propagation, with an account of its origin and development of the Hoese, H.D. 1965. Spawning of marine .-- fishery. Rep. U.S. Comm. Fish Fish. fishes in the Port Aransas, Texas,.. (1880) pt. 8:395-424. area as determined by the distribution of young and larvae. Ph.D Diss. Univ. Texas, Austin. 144 pp. Fable, W.A., Jr., H.A. Brusher, L. Trent, and J. Finnegan, Jr. 1981. Houde, E.D., J.C. Leak, C.E.Dowd, S.A. Possible temperature effects on Berkeley, and W.A. Richards. 1979. charter boat catches of king Ichthyoplankton abundance and diver- "- ,.,;. mackerel and other coastal pelagic sity in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. species in northwest Florida. U.S. Final report to the Bureau of Land Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv. Mar. Fish. Management, Contract No. AA550-CT7- Rev. 43(8):21-26. 28. 546 pp. .--

Finucane, J.H., and L.A. Collins. Johnson, A.G., W.A. Fable, Jr., M.L. Reproduction of Spanish mackerel, Williams, and L.E. Barger. 1983. Z Scomberomorus maculatus, from the Age, growth, and mortality of king Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla, Ocean of the United States. U.S. from the Southeastern United tas.

', Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Panama City, U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv. Fish. Fla. 23 pp. (unpubl. MS.) Bull. 81(1):97-106. ..

Finucane, J.H., L.A. Collins, H.A. Kelley, J.K. 1965. A taxonomic survey -. Brusher, and C.H. Saloman. Repro- of the fishes of Delta National ductive biology of king mackerel, Wildlife Refuge with emphasis on

16... .'

. as

-__A .. A.\' 4.%, ~ % ~ ~%~ *. * ~ * - .., -@'.p...~

' h' -,,~P 9 ." ,.

distribution and abundance. M.S. Munro, I.S.R. 1943. Revisions of Thesis. Louisiana State University, Australian species of Scomberomorus. Baton Rouge. 126 pp. Mem. Queensl. Mus. 12(21):65-69. Kemp, R.J. 1950. Report on stomach Naughton, S.P., and C.H. Saloman. analysis from June 1, 1949 through 1981. Stomach contents of juveniles August 31, 1949. Pages 101-127 in of king mackerel (Scomberomorus Texas Game and Fish Commission cavalla and Spanish mackerel (S. . Laboratory Annual Report for fiscal macuTatus). Northeast Gulf Sci. 5 year 1948-1949. (1) 7174. Klawe, W.L. 1961. Young scombroids Powell, D. 1975. Age, growth and from the waters between Cape reproduction in Florida stocks of Hatteras and Bahama Islands. Bull. Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus Mar. Sci. Gulf Carib. 11(1):150-157. maculatus. Fla. Mar. Res. Publ. 5. d 21 pp. Klima, E.F. 1959. Aspects of the biology and fishery for Spanish Powers, J.E., and P. Eldridge. A . - mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus preliminary assessment of king (Mitchill), of southern Florida• mackerel resources of the southeast Fla. Board Conserv. Mar. Res. Lab. United States. U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. Tech. Ser. 27. 39 pp. Ser., Miami, Fla. (unpubl. MS. a) Mago-Leccia, F. 1958. The comparative Powers, J.E., and P. Eldridge. osteology of the scombroid fishes of Assessment of Gulf of Mexico and the genus Scomberomorus from South Atlantic king mackerel. U.S. Florida. Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Carib. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Miami, Fla. 8(4):299-341. (unpubl. MS. b) Powles, H. Abundance and distribution May, B. Genetic variation in the of king mackerel (Scomberomorus king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) and Spanish mackerel (S. cavalla). Cornell University, macuTatus) larvae off the southeast Ithaca, N.Y. Final report on Con- United States. South Carolina tract No. C1434 to the Florida Marine Resources Center. Charleston. Department of Natural Resouces. 16 pp. (unpubl. MS.) (unpubl. MS.) Richardson, S.L. , and J.D. McEachran. McEachran, J.D. , J.H. Finucane, and 1981. Identification of small (less L.S. Hall. 1980. Distribution, than 3 mm) larvae of king and seasonality and abundance of king Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus and Spanish mackerel larvae in the cavalla and S. maculatus. Northeast northwestern Gulf of Mexico (Pisces: Z -f-Sci. 5(1):779.. Scombridae). Northeast Gulf Sci. ;..... 4(l):1-16. Rose, C.D. , and W.W. Hassler. 1974. Food habits and sex ratios of Mendoza, N.A. 1968. Consideraciones dolphin, Coryphaena hippurus, sobre la biologia pesquera de la captured in the western tlantic 411w i sierra Scomberomorus maculatus Ocean off Hatteras, North Carolina. (Mitchill), en el estado Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 103:94-100. -..- , ,[w Vearu.~Veracruz. Bis1()112.Ryder,Bios 1(2):11-22. J.A. 1882. Development of the Miles, D.W., and E.G. Simmons. 1951. Spanish mackerel (Cybium maculatum). The menhaden fishery. Tex. Game Fish Bull. U.S. FTsh Coimm. Oyster Comm. Bull. 30. 28 pp. 1(1881):135-173. 17..:.

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Saloman, C.H. , and S.P. Naughton. Trent, L., P. Eldridge, and E. 1983a. Food of king mackerel, Anthony. 1983. Commercial and rec- -., Scomberomorus cavalla, from the reational fisheries statistics for Southeastern United States including king mackerel in the southeast the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Dep. United States. Pages 1-2 in Commer. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFC- Abstracts of papers presented at the " -' 126. 25 pp. king mackerel symposium November 4- 5, 1983, Orlando, Fla. Fla. Dep. Nat. Resour. and U.S. Natl. Mar. Saloman, C.H., and S.P. Naughton. Fish. Serv. (Abstr.) 1983b. Food of Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus, from the Williams, R.O. , and M.F. Godcharles. Gulf of Mexico and southeastern 1983. King mackerel tagging and..-- seaboard of the United States. U.S. stock assessment. Report for Dep. Commer. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS- 1981-1982 to U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. SEFC-128. 22 pp. Serv. (Unpubl.) Fla. Dep. of Nat. Resour. PL 88-309: Project No. 341-a. 30 pp. (16 pp. text.) ,_ . -4 Skow, L.C., and M.E. Chittenden, Jr. 1981. Difference in hemoglobin Williams, R.O. , and D.F. Sutherland. phenotypes among Spanish mackerel , 1979. King mackerel migrations. Pro- Scomberomorus maculatus. Northeast ceedings: colloquium on the Spanish Gulf Sci. 5(1):67-7 and king mackerel resources of the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf States Mar. Fish. Comm. No. 4:57. (Abstr.) Smith, H.M. 1907. The fishes of North Carolina. N.C. Geol. Econ. Surv. 2. Williams, R.O., and R.G. Taylor. -",- - 433 pp. 1978. King mackerel tagging and '-4 stock assessment study (unpl.) Com- " . Springer, V.G., and K.D. Woodburn. pletion report to Natl. Mar. Fish. 1960. An ecological study of the Serv. Fla. Dep. Nat. Resour. PL fishes of the Tampa Bay area. Fla. 88-309: Project No. 2-254-r. 70 Board Conserv. Mar. Lab. Prof. pp. (19 pp. text.) Pap. Ser. 1. 104 pp. Williams, R.O., and R.G. Taylor. 1980. Sutherland, D.F., and W.A. Fable, Jr. The effect of water temperature and 1980. Results of a king mackerel winter air temperature on springtime (Scomberomorus cavalla) and Atlantic migrations of king mackerel in the Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus vicinity of Tampa Bay, Fla. Fla. maculatus) migration study, 1975- Sci. 43 (suppl.):26. (Abstr.) . 1979. U.S. Dep. Commer. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFC-12. 18 pp. Wollam, M.B. 1970. Description and distribution of larvae and early juveniles of king mackerel, Scomber- Tagatz, M.E., and D.L. Dudley. 1961. omorus cavalla (Cuvier), and Spanish Seasonal occurrence of marine fishes mackerel, S. maculatus (Mitchill); in four shore habitats near Beau- (Pisces: Scombridae); in the western fort, N.C. 1957-60. U.S. Fish North Atlantic. Fla. Dep. Nat. Wildl. Serv. Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish. Resour. Mar. Res. Lab. Tech. Serv. 390. 19 pp. 61. 35 pp. ".'* -5'*

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Ma . Gilead chatile s and Michael D.Mupy *

il. Perfamning Organisation Name and Address 10. ProiectfTask/Work Unit No. 0 Florida Department of Natural Resources J. % . 100 Eighth Avenue, SE(C St. Petersburg, FL 33701 12. SponsorngmOrganiztion Nm n drs G National Coastal Ecosystems Team U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 13' Type of Repor,PeriodCowred Fish and Wildlife Service Waterways Experiment StationF U.S. Department of the Interior P. 0. Box 631 Washington, DC 20240 Vicksburg, MS 39180 14

15. Supplementary Notes *U.S.~ Army Corps of Engineers Report No. TR EL-82-4 .. mLjetuct(umit.20words )This Species Profile onking an pns akrlsumarizes the taxonomy, morphology, distribution, life history, fishery descriptions, ecological role, and environmental requirements of these coastal pelagic fish to assist environmental%% impact assessment. King and Spanish mackerel support major commercial and sport % fisheries in south Florida. In 1974-83, Gulf of Mexico and Altantic commerical fluctuated between 4.9-17.4 million lb. Both inhabit coastal waters, but Spanish 4 mackerel are generally found closer to beaches and in outer estuarine waters. Both species feed principally on estuari ne- dependent species. They are highly migratory, exhibiting seasonal migrationsKing Mckerelandto winter Spnish feeding Mckerel grounds off south LFlorida and summer spawning/feeding grounds in the northern Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic coast of " ,.5".% , %-. the Southeastern U.S. Spawning occurs from March/April through September/October between the middleI. 7. andA~hor4e) Outer Continental Shelf (35-183 mi) for king mackerel and the * . inner shelf (12-34 mi) for Spanish mackerel.~ King mackerel reach sexual maturity in9 'their 3rd and 4thte... .) years% % ''. % .~ andV .'.t% ~Spanish, - .. 5 ~X. % 5)~between ~ their% ~ * 2nd and 3rd. *'Female d'-"-s king mackerel'. Sf j "* L live longer and grow larger and faster than males. Spanish mackerel live to 8 years; females also grow faster than males. King and Spanish mackerel feed principally on *schooling fishes. Larvae and juveniles of both species are prey to little tunny and dolphin; adults are prey for sharks and bottlenose dolphin. Temperature and salinity a-_reimportant factors regulating mackerel distribution..' 17. Document Analyis a. Descriptors Growth Temperature Life cycles

Feeding habits Salinity Marine fishes -. . Animal migrations

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As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, .4.... preserving the, environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department as- sesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.

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