The kinds of questions I answer...
Apr. 22nd, 2005 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
senoritafishQ: Could you please tell me whether there is a shortage of mackerel? I cannot find any in the usual retailers I use, except for very small ones, since last summer. Is this a seasonal phenomenon, or is there a sustainability problem with them? The local species are "blue" and "Spanish".Thank you.hg
A: Dear Mr. HG,
Pacific mackerel and jack mackerel ("Spanish" mackerel) are part of a complex of species known as coastal pelagic species (CPS), which also includes Pacific sardines, northern anchovy, and market squid. All of these species are highly dependent on climatic conditions and often their populations oscillate with respect to each other.
Pacific mackerel are federally managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and as part of that management, a biomass assessment is performed every year to determine the amount of fish present. A percentage of that amount, the harvest guideline, is allowed to be taken by commercial fisheries.
In answer to your question, Pacific mackerel are a bit less common than they were a decade ago, although there is still a harvest guideline on the West Coast of the U.S. of 10,652 metric tons for the 2004/2005 season. Part of the reason is that climatic conditions lately have favored the Pacific sardine population; in the last 15 years, the sardine's range has expanded northward from California as far north as Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. When conditions favor sardines, they are less favorable for Pacific mackerel. There are some available year round; however, they tend to school with sardines of similar size, and are caught incidentally with them. This is why you are only finding small fish in the markets.
In summer and fall, larger mackerel begin showing up off southern California, and purse seine vessels will begin targeting them. These seasonal landings can begin in July, sometimes as early as June, and last until October or November. Since the harvest guideline for Pacific mackerel is smaller than it used to be there is greater demand for these larger fish. However, the harvest guideline for them has not been filled for the last three years.
Jack mackerel ("Spanish" mackerel) landings are fairly stable, but again, they are caught incidentally with sardines and tend to school with fish of a similar size. Most of the fish found in the Southern California Bight are juveniles, with larger adults found offshore in deeper water. Pure landings of jack mackerel are fairly uncommon, although they do occur, but on the whole they are not caught in large enough amounts to be actively managed.
You can find more information about CPS species at the Pacific Fishery Management Council website:
CPS fact sheet:
http://www.pcouncil.org/facts/cps.pdf
CPS Fishery Information
http://www.pcouncil.org/cps/cpsback.html
I hope this helps - please feel free to email or give me a call if you
have any other CPS questions.
A: Dear Mr. HG,
Pacific mackerel and jack mackerel ("Spanish" mackerel) are part of a complex of species known as coastal pelagic species (CPS), which also includes Pacific sardines, northern anchovy, and market squid. All of these species are highly dependent on climatic conditions and often their populations oscillate with respect to each other.
Pacific mackerel are federally managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and as part of that management, a biomass assessment is performed every year to determine the amount of fish present. A percentage of that amount, the harvest guideline, is allowed to be taken by commercial fisheries.
In answer to your question, Pacific mackerel are a bit less common than they were a decade ago, although there is still a harvest guideline on the West Coast of the U.S. of 10,652 metric tons for the 2004/2005 season. Part of the reason is that climatic conditions lately have favored the Pacific sardine population; in the last 15 years, the sardine's range has expanded northward from California as far north as Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. When conditions favor sardines, they are less favorable for Pacific mackerel. There are some available year round; however, they tend to school with sardines of similar size, and are caught incidentally with them. This is why you are only finding small fish in the markets.
In summer and fall, larger mackerel begin showing up off southern California, and purse seine vessels will begin targeting them. These seasonal landings can begin in July, sometimes as early as June, and last until October or November. Since the harvest guideline for Pacific mackerel is smaller than it used to be there is greater demand for these larger fish. However, the harvest guideline for them has not been filled for the last three years.
Jack mackerel ("Spanish" mackerel) landings are fairly stable, but again, they are caught incidentally with sardines and tend to school with fish of a similar size. Most of the fish found in the Southern California Bight are juveniles, with larger adults found offshore in deeper water. Pure landings of jack mackerel are fairly uncommon, although they do occur, but on the whole they are not caught in large enough amounts to be actively managed.
You can find more information about CPS species at the Pacific Fishery Management Council website:
CPS fact sheet:
http://www.pcouncil.org/facts/cps.pdf
CPS Fishery Information
http://www.pcouncil.org/cps/cpsback.html
I hope this helps - please feel free to email or give me a call if you
have any other CPS questions.
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no subject
Date: 2005-04-23 06:22 pm (UTC)I just got a question the other day, asking about a striped bass he caught that had sores on the side of his body and whether it was safe to eat. He had already eaten it.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-24 04:44 am (UTC)