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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.

Mediterranean horse mackerel
Trachurus mediterraneus
Ασπροσαύριδο

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

15cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

20cm

Avoid Consumption Period

April – August

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable. However, existing legislation does not adequately account for its biology, resulting in a legal minimum size that is significantly lower than the scientifically recommended sustainable size. For this reason, it is essential to respect the recommended size limits and avoid consumption during breeding seasons. There is no specific recommended closed season for consumption.

Archipelagos Tips

Common names

FR

Chinchard à queue jaune

it

Sugarello maggiore

es

Jurel mediterráneo

tr

Sarikuyu istavrit

pt

Carapau-do-Mediterrâneo

nl

Middellandse Zee-horsmakreel

de

Mittelmeer Stöcker

toxicity

Trachurus mediterraneus is considered safe to eat.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Elongated, slender, compressed body, typically reaching up to 60 cm in length. It has a large head, a projecting lower jaw, and a metallic blue back with a silvery-white belly. It features a well-developed adipose eyelid, small nostrils, and a distinct notch on the posterior margin of the opercle (gill cover). Key distinguishing features include the scutes (bony plates) along the lateral line and a small, black opercular spot. Looks like: T. trachurus (Atlantic Horse Mackerel): This species is very similar to T. mediterraneus in terms of body shape and size.

Did you know?

Forms schools, sometimes with other Trachurus species such as T. trachurus and T. picturatus!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Hyperbenthivorous, Zooplanktivorous and Piscivorous. They feed on other fishes especially sardines, anchovies, etc. and small crustaceans

habitat

Pelagic, Oceanic. Adults are found usually near the bottom, at times also in surface waters.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 60.0 cm. Max weight: 393 gr. Depth range: 0 – 500 m.

breeding & Growth

Oviparous, multiple-spawning species with a peak spawning season from May to August in the Mediterranean. Slow growth. Body Growth Efficient (k): 0,23yr⁻¹.

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 6-8 years. Distribution: Bay of Biscay to Mauritania including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

appearance changes

Moderate and mostly ontogenetic with a fairly clear shift from juvenile to adult morphology. Juvenile is more elongated and has slender body, has a less pronounced lateral line scutes and the body often is more translucent-silvery. The adult has a more deep-bodied, more robust and has a visible lateral line with scutes (bony plates). It has a clear silvery-blue coloration.

Reproductive Cycle

It reproduces about 15 to 20 times per year during a single seasonal cycle. Rather than releasing all her eggs at once, a female lays an average “batch” of roughly eggs every 5 to 7 days, amounting to over eggs per season.
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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