Fish
Mediterranean horse mackerel
Trachurus mediterraneus
Out of season
—
Fishing zones
Wild
Origin
20 cm
Minimum size
Description
Like all horse mackerels, its body is elongated and compressed. Its head is fairly long. The best way to distinguish it from the common horse mackerel is its accessory lateral line (located at the very top of the back), which is very short and ends well before the tip of the first dorsal fin. The scutes (bony scales) on the main lateral line are smaller than those of its cousin. Its back is gray-blue or greenish, its sides are silvery, and its belly is white. Its fins, particularly the caudal (tail) fin, often have a characteristic yellowish tint. Its average size ranges from 20 to 30 cm, but it can reach a maximum length of 60 cm.
Habitat
It is a pelagic and migratory species that lives in schools, sometimes very large ones. It is generally found at depths between 5 and 250 meters, although it can descend to depths of up to 500 meters. It tends to move closer to the coast in the summer to spawn and move out to sea or into deeper waters in the winter. It feeds mainly on small fish (sardines, anchovies) and small pelagic crustaceans.
Distribution
As its name suggests, it is particularly abundant in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It is also found in the eastern Atlantic, from the Bay of Biscay in the north to the coasts of Morocco and Mauritania in the south.