Pacific mackerel, Pacific chub mackerel
The chub mackerel, Pacific mackerel, or Pacific chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) is a species of fish in the tuna and mackerel family, Scombridae. This species of mackerel closely resembles the Atlantic chub mackerel.
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PlanktivoreA planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are usually photosynthet...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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OceanodromousC
starts withThe chub mackerel has a well-developed swim bladder attached with the esophagus, which the "true mackerels" in the genus Scomber lack, and a characteristic color difference is seen between the chub and the Atlantic chub, the latter being silvery-sided below the midline, whereas the lower part of the sides of the chub (otherwise colored somewhat like the Atlantic) are mottled with small dusky blotches, and the chub has a larger eye than the Atlantic. Less obvious differences are that the dorsal fins are closer together in the chub and only 9 or 10 spines are in its first dorsal fin instead of 11 or more, which is the usual count in the Atlantic mackerel. In most species, the mackerel is known to travel in large schools. It is a smaller fish than its better-known relatives, growing to a length around 8 to 14 inches (20 to 36 cm).
Chub mackerel are widespread in the Indo-Pacific. They are absent from the Indian Ocean except for a small range in South Africa from KwaZulu-Natal to Western Cape. In the Atlantic, they are replaced by the closely related Atlantic chub mackerel. The chub mackerel is widely distributed, usually found in the northwestern, southeastern, and northeastern Pacific. In the eastern Pacific, it can be found from Southeast Alaska to central Mexico. Chub mackerel are generally found within 20 miles (37 km) off the coast in waters between 50 and 72 °F (10 to 22 °C). Young mackerel live around sandy beaches or kelp beds, while adults are found in deeper waters in shallow banks to 1000 feet (300 m) deep. Chub mackerel school with other pelagic species, such as other types of mackerels and sardines. In 2015, a new species of mackerels were found in the Indian Ocean classified as Scomber indicus.
Chub mackerel school like Atlantic mackerel, and their feeding habits are much the same, eating the same species of pelagic crustaceans and Sagittae. Specimens of Atlantic Mackerel taken at Woods Hole ate chiefly copepods, and to a lesser extent amphipods, salps, appendicularians, and young herring. Chub mackerel follow thrown bait as readily and bite quite as greedily as Atlantic mackerel do. Their breeding habits have not been studied.
As larvae, chub mackerel feed mainly on copepods and rotifers and sometimes even smaller larvae of their own kind. Chub mackerel larvae can consume up to 87% of their dry body weight a day. As juveniles, chub mackerel feed mainly on zooplankton. As adults, they feed on mysids and euphausids.
