Mackerels and Tunas

**Cero (Scomberomorous regalis)**
Description: color of back iridescent bluish green; sides silvery; yellow spots forming lines above and below a bronze stripe from pectoral fin to base of the tail; front of first dorsal is bluish black; lateral line curves gradually to base of caudal fin. Similar fish: Spanish mackerel, S. maculatus; king mackerel, S. cavalla (only the cero has the yellow-brown stripes from pectoral to caudal fin).
Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE fish occurring mainly in south Florida, especially over coral reefs and wrecks. Size: common to 5 pounds.	Remarks: unlike other mackerels, does not stray far from south Florida waters; spawns OFFSHORE in midsummer; feeds on small fish and squid.

**King Mackerel (Scomberomorous cavalla)**
Description: color of back iridescent bluish green, sides silvery; streamlined body with tapered head; no black pigment on front of the first dorsal fin; lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin; young fish often have yellowish spots like those of Spanish mackerel. Similar fish: cero, S. regalis; Spanish mackerel, S. maculatus.
Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE; occasionally taken from piers running into deepwater. Size: common to 20 pounds.	Remarks: schooling fish that migrates from south Florida waters in winter to more northerly waters in spring; Gulf population thought to be separate from Atlantic population, with considerable mixing in winter from Cape Canaveral past Key West; spawns in midsummer OFFSHORE; feeds on small fish and squid.

**Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorous maculatus)**
Description: color of back green, shading to silver on sides, golden yellow irregular spots above and below lateral line; front of dorsal fin black; lateral line curves gently to base of tail. Similar fish: cero, S. regalis; king mackerel, S. cavalla.
Where found: INSHORE, NEARSHORE, and OFFSHORE, especially over deep grass beds and reefs; absent from north Florida waters in winter. Size: average catch less than 2 pounds (20 inches).	Remarks: schooling fish that migrates northward in spring returning to southerly waters when water temperatures drop below about 70 degrees Fahrenheit; spawns OFFSHORE, spring through summer; feeds on small fish and squid.

This page last updated Friday, August 04, 2006 11:17:14.
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