Pacific Mackerel

Pacific mackerel, also called blue mackerel, occur worldwide in temperate and subtropical coastal waters. In the eastern Pacific they range from Chile to the Gulf of Alaska but are most abundant south of Point Conception, the demarkation point of southern California. These fish form dense schools as a defense against predators and are often found with other pelagic species, including jack mackerel and sardines.

Pacific mackerel supported one of California's major fisheries during the 1930's and '40's, and again during the 1980's and early 90's. A "wetfish," along with anchovies and sardines, mackerel are so called because they are canned with minimal pre-processing (wet from the ocean). The canning of Pacific mackerel began in the 1920's, paralleling the development of California's sardine industry. During the 1930's, mackerel was second only to Pacific sardines in total annual landings. From 1984 through 1991, Pacific mackerel ranked first in volume of finfish landed in California.

Mackerel is still an important catch for California's traditional purse seine fleet, which operates yearlong in the southern California Bight, occasionally traveling to offshore banks and the Channel Islands. Monterey's round-haul fleet also lands mackerel. Mackerel have a cyclic and seasonal pattern: fish tend to move offshore and out of range of the coastal fishery from January through May, then become increasingly abundant inshore until late fall. California's harvest is also governed by a quota that varies with the estimated biomass; this biomass is influenced by natural oceanic cycles.

Commercially harvested Pacific mackerel seldom exceed 16 inches in length and two pounds. Currently most of the Pacific mackerel catch is canned for human consumption and pet food, with a small amount sold to the fresh market