The King Mackerel

The King Mackerel belongs to the Scombridae family. The king mackerel is a medium-sized fish, generally weighing between 5 and 14 kg, but weighing more than 40 kg. Females can live up to 14 years, and males up to 11 years. It spawns from May to September. It can be fished from April to December.
Unlike other members of Scombridae, mackerel do not have a black area on the front of the first dorsal fin. The mackerel king has 12 to 18 spines in his first dorsal fin; 15-18 rays in the second dorsal fin, followed by 7-10 pinnacles; and 21-23 rays in the pectoral fin. Its body is about five times larger than its head and about six times longer than its depth. The whole body is covered with rudimentary scales, except for its pectoral fin. The lateral line drops abruptly after the second dorsal fin, then continues to the tail, distinguishing it from red mackerel (Scomberomorus regalis). The king mackerel also lacks scales on the pectoral fins, as does the Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus), unlike the red mackerel which has scales extending over the pectoral fin. The king mackerel is a silver fish with indistinct bars or spots on the side. The dorsal surface is black with iridescent tones of blue and green. Young fish have small bronze spots on 5 or 6 irregular rows.