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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Chub mackerel
Scomber japonicus
Κολιός

Sustainability Status

Highly exploited

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation
Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Legal

Minimum Size

18 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

26 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

June – August

Advice for Consumption

Think before consuming this species.

Greek legislation sets an unsustainably small legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected. Always respect minimum sustainable size limits and do not consume this species during its breeding season.

Choose sustainable seafood!

Archipelagos Tips

Choosing larger, mature fish helps reduce fishing pressure on juvenile individuals.

Common names

FR

Maquereau espagnol

it

Lanzardo

es

Caballa del sur

tr

Kolyoz

pt

Cavala

nl

Stille-oceaan makreel

de

Japanische Makrele

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Has a slender body, reaching up to 60 cm in length but specimens of over 30 cm are rare, likely due to fishing pressure. It has a pointed snout, and like the common mackerel, the dorsal fins are spaced apart. Ventral fins are present on the fromt of the body, at the level of the pectoral fins. The body is covered in small scales, with larger scales at the back of the head and on the pectoral fins. Its swim bladder allows it to quickly dive deep. The body has a bluish-green coloration with yellowish hues and dark spots along the flanks. The belly and lower part of the flanks are white.

It looks like Scomber scombrus (Common mackerel), which differs by its spotted and striped flanks. The eyes are larger and covered with a flap of adipose tissue.

Did you know?

The population of this fish species in the North Atlantic Ocean has recently increased to 57 million!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Omnivorous.
Feeds on zooplankton such as copepod, krill, crustaceans, small fishes and squids, and also plants and invertebrates.

habitat

Pelagic-neritic.
They inhabit surface waters to the continental slope. Adults stay near the bottom during the day and go up to the open water at night.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 64 cm
Max weight: 3 kg
Depth range: 0-300 m

breeding & Growth

Spawning most often occurs at water temperatures of 15° to 20°C.
Growth rate: Moderate (k = 0.3yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 10-13 years
Max reported age: 18 years
Distribution: Throughout the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the Southern and Western regions.

appearance changes

Two distinct morphotypes exist, an elongated, hydrodynamic shape adapted to areas with stronger currents and a shorter-headed form found in less dynamic waters.

Reproductive Cycle

They are batch spawners. They divide their eggs and release them in 6 to 9 batches and each contains from 250 to 300 eggs.
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If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms