King Mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla
King Mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla. Fish caught from coastal waters off St. Petersburg, Florida, May 2016. Length: 66 cm (2 feet 2 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
King Mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla. Fish caught from coastal waters off Sebastian, Florida, June 2021. Length: 1.20 m (3 feet 11 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.
The King Mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla, is a member of the Mackerel or Scombridae Family, also known as the Kingfish and in Mexico as carito. Globally there are eighteen species in the genus Scomberomorus, five of which 1are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The King Mackerel has an elongated fusiform, strongly compressed, torpedo-shaped body. Their body is 5X the length of their head and 6X longer than deep. Dorsally they are an iridescent bluish-green with the sides and belly silvery in color. The juveniles have yellow spots on their sides, arranged in 5 or 6 irregular rows, and their dorsal fin is a uniform color. Their head has a short, pointed snout and their mouth has 30 strong, compressed, triangular, knife-like teeth. Their anal fin has 16 to 20 rays followed by 8 to 10 finlets and is similar to size and shape of the second dorsal fin; their caudal fin is deeply forked and the peduncle has 1 large and 2 small keels at its base; their first dorsal fin has 14 to 16 spines and is low; their second dorsal fin has 16 to 20 rays follow by 8 to 10 finlets and is higher than the first dorsal fin; their pectoral fins have 21 to 23 rays and are short; and their pelvic fins are long. They have 6 to 11 gill rakers. Their body is covered with small scales. Their lateral line gradually curves down toward the caudal fin base and continues into the tail.
The King Mackerel is a coastal pelagic schooling species found in the subtropical and tropical waters off North America and the Caribbean. They are found as solitary individuals or in small groups and often around outer reefs and depths up to 140 m (460 feet). They are known to make long seasonal migrations in large schools. They are the largest species of the Scomberomorus Genus and reach a maximum of 1.84 m (6 feet 0 inches) in length and 42.3 kg (93 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 40.8 kg (90 lbs) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Key West, Florida in 1976. They are a voracious opportunistic shallow water predator that feeds on halfbeaks, grunts, jack mackerels and snappers as well as shrimp and squid. Juveniles consume small fish and invertebrates. Their larvae and juveniles are preyed upon by Little Tunny and Dolphins. The adults are preyed upon by pelagic sharks, Little Tunney and Dolphins. Reproduction is oviparous with each female releasing between 69,000 and 12,200,000 eggs into the water column that are quickly fertilized by males. Eggs are pelagic and generally hatch within twenty-four hours. The King Mackerel is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction. They have lifespans of thirty-two years with females living longer than males.
The King Mackerel is most likely confused with the Cero, Scomberomous regina (spots and long thin stripe on the sides; 11-14 gill rakers), and the Spanish Mackerel, Scomberomous maculatus (spots on the sides; 11-16 gill rakers).
The King Mackerel is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.
From a conservation perspective the King Mackerel is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. There was a significant decline in their populations in the 1990s which have now recovered to modest levels, attributed to the ban of gill nets and enhanced regulations implemented by some countries. Their juveniles are caught by shrimp trawlers. The King Mackerel is considered to be an important fish for artisanal, commercial and recreational fishermen. They are caught primarily via hook and line, gill nets in certain areas, on live bait and trolled lures. They are a popular sportsfish due to the size, speed, agility and quality as a food fish. They are sold fresh or canned with Mexico being the largest producer of King Mackerel. They are known to contain ciguatoxin and high levels of mercury.