| Identification
& Biology: |
The
body is elongated and strongly flattened from side-to-side.
They are green above with silver sides, heavily marked with
oval yellow or golden-olive spots. This species closely resembles
the cero in color, however the spots on the cero are arranged
in a row and the cero has 1 or 2 longitudinal stripes that
are the same color as the spots. Both species have a pronounced
black spot on the front of the dorsal fin.
Spanish mackerel are schooling predators that relentlessly
attack schools of smaller fish, especially anchovies. Often,
diving gulls will attack the terrified prey fish forced to
the surface by the mackerel and other fish that join them,
such as spotted seatrout, jacks, ladyfish, and bluefish. Feeding
Spanish mackerel will gracefully leap clear of the water.
Spanish mackerel grow fast, to 12-15 inches in length their
first year, and few fish live beyond 3-5 years. They spawn
during the warm months of the year. |
