Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name for several fast-swimming marine fishes, especially members of the family Scombridae. Many species are important food fish.
Scombridae: A family of marine fishes that includes mackerels, tunas, bonitos, and Spanish mackerels. Most fishes called mackerel belong to this family of fast-swimming predators.
Atlantic mackerel: A schooling North Atlantic fish, Scomber scombrus, harvested commercially and eaten fresh or preserved. It is one of the best-known species called mackerel in Europe and North America.
Mackerel fishery: The commercial and subsistence capture of mackerel for food and other uses. Large schooling populations make several mackerel species targets of major fisheries.
Tuna: Several genera of large, fast-swimming marine fishes in the family Scombridae. Tuna are close scombrid relatives, generally larger and often more specialized for sustained swimming.
Mackerel anatomy: The body form and structures that support swimming, feeding, and respiration in mackerels. Their streamlined bodies and finlets suit the rapid swimming associated with mackerel.
Chub mackerel: A widespread mackerel species, Scomber japonicus, found in temperate and subtropical seas. It is a major food species in fisheries across several ocean regions.
Fish oil: Oil derived from fish tissue, rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in many species. Mackerel’s oily flesh supplies omega-3 fats used in diets and supplements.
Horse mackerel: A common name for several fishes in the family Carangidae, unrelated to true mackerels in Scombridae. Despite its name, horse mackerel belongs to a different fish family.
Pelagic fish: Fish that live in the open water column rather than primarily on the seabed. Many mackerels spend their lives in open water, often in schools.
Indian mackerel: A tropical Indo-West Pacific fish, Rastrelliger kanagurta, commonly caught for food. Its name applies to a distinct, widely harvested species outside genus Scomber.