Trachurus symmetricus
Jack Mackerel
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Carangidae (Jacks)
Trachurus
Trachurus symmetricus (Jack Mackerel)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Small specimens may have an additional forward-directed spine at first dorsal origin (embedded in larger specimens).
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: southeastern Alaska to southern Baja California, Mexico and the Gulf of California; reported from Acapulco in Mexico and the Galapagos Islands.
Habitat Associations
Marine. pelagic-oceanic. depth range 0-400 m. Found in: estuaries.
Biology
Adults are often found offshore, up to 500 miles from the coast (Ref. 9283). They form large schools (Ref. 2850). Young frequently occur in school near kelp and under piers (Ref. 2850). They feed mainly on small crustaceans and fish larvae (Ref. 9283). Large individuals often move inshore and north in the summer (Ref. 2850). Marketed fresh, smoked, canned and frozen; eaten fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988).
Max length: 81.0 cm TL; common length: 55.0 cm TL; max age: 30 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2008-04-30. Resilience: Low (K=0.09-0.21;tm=2-3; tmax=30; Fec<50,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983) A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p.
Konchina, Y.V. (1983) The feeding niche of the hake, Merluccius gayi (Merluccidae), and the jack mackerel, Trachurus symmetricus (Carangidae), in the trophic system of the Peruvian coastal upwelling. J. Ichthyol. 23(2):87-98.
Hart, J.L. (1973) Pacific fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 180:740 p.
Fitch, J.E. (1974) Offshore fishes of California. Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California. 80 p.
Konchina, Y.V. and Y.P. Pavlov (1995) On methods of determining the trophic status of species in ichthyocenes. J. Ichthyol. 35(8):150-166.
Comments On Trachurus symmetricus