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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.

Blue jack mackerel
Trachurus picturatus
Μαυροσάφριδο

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

15 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

23 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

April – May

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

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

Choose sustainable seafood!

Archipelagos Tips

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

Common names

FR

Chinchard du large

it

Sugarello

es

Chicharro

tr

Mavi İstavrit

pt

Carapau-negrão

nl

Blauwe horsmakreel

de

–

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Elongated, fusiform body shape. Distinguished by its dark blue-black back and whitish belly, with transparent or pink fins. It has a long lateral line, reaching past the beginning of the second dorsal fin, and the last dorsal and anal fin rays are separated from the others.

It looks like Trachurus trachurus (Atlantic horse mackerel) and Trachurus mediterraneus (Mediterranean horse mackerel). All three species are frequently found in the same geographic areas and are commercially exploited, share similar body shapes and sizes, making them difficult to distinguish by sight.

Did you know?

A female mackerel can produce up to 70,000 eggs every time they spawn!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
It feeds mainly on crustaceans.

habitat

Benthopelagic.
They live and feed both near the bottom and in midwater, specifically hovering or swimming just above the seafloor.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 60 cm
Max weight: 1.4 kg
Depth range: 305-370 m

breeding & Growth

It has a distinct reproductive cycle characterised by a winter-to-spring spawning season, peaking around March in the Northeast Atlantic. Spawning typically occurs from December to May, with lower activity in summer, when the fish enter a resting or regressing phase.
Growth rate: Slow (k = 0.2yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 3-14 years
Max reported age: 18 years
Distribution: Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic.

appearance changes

The species shows fast adaptations in body width and tail structure depending on environmental conditions.

Reproductive Cycle

They reproduce once a year, but will spawn multiple times (in batches) throughout the annual season. A female can release between 7,000 and 300,000 eggs depending on her size.
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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