Description: A small to medium-sized pelagic fish, with elongate, laterally compressed body. Two separate dorsal fins, the second one longer. It has a conspicuous lateral line composed of enlarged scute-like scales, which is elevated anteriorly, curved, then straight posteriorly, extending onto the caudal fin. The caudal fin is forked. The upper part of the head and body is darker, dusky grey or bluish-green, whereas the lower two-thirds of the body are usually pale, white to silvery. It has a small black opercular spot near the edge.
Global Distribution: Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 60.0 cm (total length); common length : 25.0 cm (fork length). No significant differences in size (length, weight) between the sexes.
Growth type: Isometric (Mendes et al. 2004) / positive allometric (Torres et al. 2012).
von Bertallanfy growth parameters: Madeira: Both sexes: L∞=48.28 cm, k=0.135 year-1, t0=-2.898 year, r2=0.999; Males: L∞=44.79 cm, k=0.143 year-1, t0=-3.207 year, r2=0.999; Females: L∞=44.63 cm, k=0.163 year-1, t0=-2.430 year, r2=0.999.
Reproduction: Eggs are pelagic.
Maturity: FishBase: 25 cm.
Canary Islands: both sexes: 22.79 cm, males: 21.20 cm, females: 23.05 cm.
Azores: 50% maturity females 27.7 cm FL (4.3 years); males 28.8 cm FL (5.1 years).
Behavioural ecology: Schooling species.
Population structure & migrations: Known to migrate between the coast of Sahara and the offshore seamounts possibly reaching the Cape Verde Islands.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 305 - 370 m.
Madeira: 100 - 500 m.
Habitat: Pelagic to benthopelagic, on continental and insular shelves and upper slopes, and over seamounts.
Feeding habits: Feeds mainly on crustaceans.
Trophic level: FishBase: 3.3
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Important commercial species in Madeira, where it is fished along with other small pelagic species in the "ruama" purse seine fishery.
Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated.
Europe: Least concern.
Nutritional information & food safety:
Proximate composition per 100 g:
energy value: 106.5 kcal (5.3% DRV)
protein: 21.00 g (42.0% DRV)
fat: 1.87 g (2.7% DRV)
of which saturates: 0.630 g (3.1% DRV)
omega-3 (EPA+DHA): 0.520 g (recommended: 0.250 - 2.0 g daily)
REFERENCES
Borges T.C., Olim S., Erzini K. (2003). Weight–length relationships for fish species discarded in commercial fisheries of the Algarve (southern Portugal). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 19(6): 394-396.
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
Fischer W., Bianchi G., Scott W.B., eds. (1981). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic; fishing areas 34, 47 (in part). Canada Funds-in-Trust. Ottawa, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, by arrangement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 1, 326 pp.
Garcia A., Pereira J.G., Canha A., Reis D., Diogo H. (2014). Life history parameters of blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus (Teleostei: Carangidae) from north-east Atlantic. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, in press.
Hureau J.-C., ed. (1984-1985). Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO. Accessed through: Marine Species Identification Portal. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://species-identification.org (2014).
Jurado-Ruzafa A., GarcÃa-SantamarÃa M.T. (2013). Reproductive biology of the blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus (Bowdich, 1825), off the Canary Islands . Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 29: 526-531.
Mendes B., Fonseca P., Campos A. (2004). Weight–length relationships for 46 fish species of the Portuguese west coast. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 20(5): 355-361.
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
Nogueira N., Cordeiro N., Aveiro M.J. (2012). Chemical composition, fatty acids profile and cholesterol content of commercialized marine fishes captured in Northeastern Atlantic. Journal of Fisheries Sciences, 7(3): 271-286.
Rosa A., Menezes G., Melo O., Pinho M.R. (2006). Weight–length relationships of 33 demersal fish species from Azores archipelago. Fisheries Research, 80(2): 329-332.
Torres M.A., Ramos F., Sobrino I. (2012). Length–weight relationships of 76 fish species from the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Spain). Fisheries Research, 127: 171-175.
