Skip to content
Explore Pêchedex

FISH GUIDE · Sea

Atlantic mackerel: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Scomber scombrus

Atlantic mackerel are open-water fish: finding a shoal and its depth matters more than leaving a rig on the bottom. A single metal lure offers a simple start and limits handling. Seasons provide biological context; they do not define permitted catches.

Catalogue names : Maquereau. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Found in the North Atlantic on both American and European sides, in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. DORIS lists, among other areas, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Iceland and coasts from Norway to Morocco.

  • Documented presence : Northeast Atlantic
  • Documented presence : Northwest Atlantic
  • Documented presence : North Sea
  • Documented presence : English Channel
  • Documented presence : Mediterranean Sea
  • Documented presence : Black Sea

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Scomber scombrus has a blue-green back with dark patterns, silvery flanks and small finlets before the tail. Atlantic chub mackerel, Scomber colias, notably has spots on the lower flanks. Take time to identify the catch before applying a rule or filling in your logbook.

Habitat

It inhabits the Atlantic, English Channel, North Sea and Mediterranean in mobile shoals. To explore from permitted access, look for open water where several casting angles remain possible. A diving bird suggests possible feeding activity, not proof of a mackerel shoal.

Diet

Zooplankton, pelagic crustaceans and small open-water fish, including sardines, sprats, anchovies, herring and sand eels.

Behaviour

Its diet includes plankton and small fish. Shoals can exploit different water layers, so they are not necessarily visible at the surface. Remember the sinking time and lure path after a bite so you can repeat a presentation instead of casting without reference points.

Indicative biological size

An average adult size of 30–40 cm according to DORIS; a descriptive range, not a legal size limit.

Fishing context and precautions

  1. Choose a small metal jig or spoon compatible with the rod, preferably fitted with a single hook.
  2. Cast into open water and start with a short, controlled descent.
  3. Retrieve steadily; on the next pass, let it sink longer to explore another layer without reaching a snaggy bottom.
  4. After a bite, keep steady tension and retrieve towards the landing-net point. Then repeat the path that produced contact before changing the lure.

A distinctive feature

It has no swim bladder, unlike Atlantic chub mackerel Scomber colias.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

More species to discover