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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
Μαυροσαύριδο

Sustainability Status

Currently considered suistainable.

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

Legal

Minimum Size

15cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

23cm

Avoid Consumption Period

April – May

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.

Archipelagos Tips

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. Looks like: Trachurus trachurus (Atlantic horse mackerel); 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

They feed 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 characterized 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. Slow growth rater per year. Body Growth Efficient (k): 0,2yr⁻¹.

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 3-14 years. Distribution: It populates the western area of the Mediterranean Sea. Although Iit was also reported from the eastern part of Mediterranean by several references that may need confirmation.

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 that annual season. A female can release between 7000 and 300k eggs depending on her size.
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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