Spanish
mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus, support significant recreational
and commercial fisheries in South Atlantic waters and is gaining
importance in the Mid-Atlantic. Many anglers target and catch
Spanish mackerel to use whole fish as bait for big game fishing.
Recreational harvest has averaged 1.5 million pounds annually,
with anglers in Florida and North Carolina taking the majority
of fish. The commercial fishery has averaged 3.2 million pounds
over the last ten years, although it peaked at over 11 million
pounds in 1977.
Spanish mackerel
is one of several species that the Commission manages cooperatively
with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Since adoption
of the Fishery Management Plan in 1990, Southern and Mid-Atlantic
states have responded to the plan’s recommendations through
implementation of bag limits, size limits, commercial trip limits,
and /or provisions for seasonal closures to complement the Council’s
measures for federal waters. Implementation of these measures
helped rebuilt the fishery from a level that was once in decline.
The stock is considered to not be experiencing overfishing; however,
overfished status is unknown. <species
profile> <stock
status> <UPDATED:
commercial
and recreational landings> <state
regulations> <habitat
fact sheet>
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