Mackerel Scad

The mackerel scad (''Decapterus macarellus''), or speedo, is a species of fish of the family, Carangidae. While mackerel scad can be considered gamefish, they are usually used as bait. They are popular for consumption in Hawai'i, the Philippines and the U.A.E. In Hawai'i, mackerel scad are called ʻopelu. In the Philippines they are called galunggong.

Description

The largest mackerel scad recorded was 46 cm long.Jiménez Prado, P. & P. Béarez, 2004. Peces Marinos del Ecuador continental. Tomo 2: Guía de Especies / Marine fishes of continental Ecuador. Volume 2: Species Guide. SIMBIOE/NAZCA/IFEA Their elongated bodies look somewhat circular when viewed head on. They are distinguishable by a small, detached fin, located between the dorsal and caudal fins. Mackerel scad have 9 spines and 31–36 rays on their dorsal fins, while there are seven spines and 27–30 rays on their anal fins.

The mackerel scad's fins are black metallic to blue-green and its belly is white. The edge of the operculum has a small, black spot,Smith-Vaniz, W.F., 1986. Carangidae. p. 638-661. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. with no spots on the lateral line.Randall, J.E. 1996 Caribbean reef fishes. Third edition – revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3rd ed. 368 p. Mackerel scad's caudal fins have been described as reddish to yellow-green.

Distribution and habitat

The mackerel scad's range covers most of the world's oceans. In the western Atlantic, they have been found off Nova Scotia and Bermuda, south to Rio de Janeiro,Floeter, S.R., J.L. Gasparini, L.A. Rocha, C.E.L. Ferreira, C.A. Rangel and B.M. Feitoza, 2003
"Brazilian reef fish fauna: checklist and remarks" (updated Jan. 2003)
, Brazilian Reef Fish Project although they do not seem common in the Gulf of Mexico.Cervigón, F. 1993 Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas, Venezuela. 497 p. In the eastern Atlantic, mackerel scad have been found off St. Helena, Ascension Island, and Cape Verde.Smith-Vaniz, W. F., J. C. Quéro and M. Desoutter, 1990. Carangidae. p. 729-755. In J. C. Quero, J. C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. They have also been recorded in the Gulf of Guinea, The Azores, and Madeira.Smith-Vaniz, W.F., 1986. Carangidae. p. 815-844. In P. J. P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris. vol. 2. In the Indian Ocean, mackerel scad have been found in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden they are also known from South Africa, the Mascarenes, the Seychelles, and Sri Lanka.Smith-Vaniz, W. F., 1984. Carangidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean fishing area 51. Vol. 1. ag. var. FAO, Rome. In the eastern Pacific, they are known from the Revillagigedo Islands, the Gulf of California, and the coast of Ecuador.Smith-Vaniz, W.F., 1995. Carangidae. Jureles, pámpanos, cojinúas, zapateros, cocineros, casabes, macarelas, chicharros, jorobados, medregales, pez pilota. p. 940-986. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K. E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome.

FAO areas where the mackerel scad is native include the north east and northwest Atlantic, the center east and west Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the South east and west Atlantic, the eastern and western Indian, and the North west, center west, center east and south west Pacific.

Mackerel scad usually live in subtropical seas at depths up to 400 m. They prefer clear water, and are frequently found around islands.Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A. J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J. M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez, 1992. Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD. Although mackerel scad have been found at the surface, they are usually caught at depths between 40 and 200 meters. They feed mainly on zooplankton.Smith-Vaniz, W. F., 1995. Carangidae. Jureles, pàmpanos, cojinùas, zapateros, cocineros, casabes, macarelas, chicharros, jorobados, medregales, pez pilota. p. 940-986. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome.

Economic significance

Mackerel scad are fairly important both to fisheries and to sportfishing. They are a somewhat popular fish for human consumption, normally eaten split and fried, but are more often used as bait, since large gamefish such as the blue-spotted grouper, giant trevally, and the onespot snapper are all known to feed on them.Randall, J.E. and V.E. Brock 1960 Observations on the ecology of Epinephelinae and lutjanid fishes of the Society Islands, with emphasis on food habits. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 89(1):9–16.Sudekum, A. E., J. D. Parrish, R. L. Radtke and S. Ralston, 1991

This species is also significant for its use in preparing the Japanese snack ''Kusaya'', a traditional product of the Izu Islands.

References

External links

*http://www.gma.org/fogm/Decapterus_macarellus.htm
*http://www.thejump.net/id/mackerel-scad.htm
*http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=993
*

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2236628

mackerel scad
Cosmopolitan fish
Taxa named by Georges Cuvier
mackerel scad