This is a coastal pelagic species, that is to a lesser extent epipelagic to mesopelagic, over the continental slope. It is found to depths of 300 m. Schooling by size is well developed and initiates at approximately 3 cm (Collette and Nauen 1983). It may also form schools with Sarda chiliensis, Trachurus symmetricus and Sardinops sagax (Collette 1995). This species stays near the bottom during the day and goes up to the open water at night (Maigret and Ly 1986) where it feeds on copepods and other crustaceans, fishes and squid (Collette and Nauen 1983).

Spawning most often occurs at water temperatures of 15–20°C. This species spawns in several batches, with 250–300 eggs per gram of fish, with the total number of eggs per female ranging from 100,000–400,000.

This species has an average longevity of approximately seven years (Caramantin-Soriano et al. 2008), although longevity can be as high as 14 years based on size-frequency growth studies in the USA and Mexico (Dorval et al. 2007). Age of first maturity is approximately 2–4 years (Watanabe and Yatzu 2006, Gluyas-Millán and Quiñonez-Velázquez 1996). Generation length is therefore is estimated to be 4–6 years.

Maximum Size is 64 cm total length (TL). The all-tackle angling record is of a 2.17 kg fish caught off Guadalupe Island, Mexico in 1986 (IGFA 2011).

GBGCA626-10|NC_013723|Scomber japonicus| ACCCGCTGATTTTTCTCAACAAACCATAAAGACATCGGCACCCTCTACCTAGTATTTGGTGCATGAGCTGGAATAGTTGGCACGGCCTTA---AGCTTGCTTATCCGAGCTGAACTAAGTCAACCAGGGTCCCTTCTCGGCGAC---GACCAAATCTACAACGTAATTGTTACGGCCCACGCCTTCGTTATAATCTTCTTTTTAGTAATGCCAGTTATGATTGGAGGGTTCGGAAACTGACTGATCCCCCTAATG---ATCGGAGCCCCCGACATGGCATTTCCCCGAATAAATAACATAAGCTTCTGACTTCTGCCCCCCTCTCTCCTGCTGCTCCTGTCTTCTTCGGCAGTTGAAGCCGGTGCCGGAACTGGCTGAACAGTTTATCCTCCCCTCGCTGGGAACCTAGCACACGCCGGGGCATCAGTTGATTTG---ACCATCTTCTCACTCCACCTAGCAGGTGTTTCCTCAATCCTTGGGGCCATTAACTTCATCACAACAATCATTAACATAAAACCTGCAGGTGTATCCCAATACCAAACCCCTCTGTTCGTCTGAGCAGTCCTAATTACAGCTGTCCTTCTCCTTCTATCCCTACCAGTTCTTGCTGCC---GGCATTACAATGCTCCTAACAGACCGAAATCTAAATACTACCTTCTTCGACCCTGGAGGAGGGGGAGACCCCATTCTTTACCAACACCTCTTCTGATTCTTCGGCCACCCCGAAGTCTACATTCTTATTCTTCCAGGATTCGGAATAATCTCCCATATCGTTGCCTACTACGCCGGTAAAAAA---GAACCCTTCGGCTACATGGGCATGGTATGAGCCATGATGGCCATCGGCCTACTAGGCTTTATTGTATGAGCCCACCACATGTTTACAGTCGGAATAG 
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Red List Category

Red List Criteria

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

The total world catch of Scomber colias and Scomber japonicus went from 52,996 mt in 1960 to a maximum of 3,412,594 mt in 1978 and then dropping back off from 962,978 to 1,546,906 mt between 1990 and 1995 (Hernandez and Ortega 2000).

Eastern Pacific
In the Eastern Pacific, FAO reported landings from 1973–2005 fluctuate from 150,000 to 950,000 mt per year (FAO 2009). Although these landing data have fluctuated widely from 1995–2005, they have shown an apparent increase (Canales 2006). In Chile, Peru and Ecuador landing statistics over the past 10 years are highly fluctuating between 400,000 and 835,000 mt, with an increasing trend in reported catch landings (FAO 2009).

This species is not very heavily targeted in Chile (with average annual catches of 200,000 mt), but it is caught as bycatch. In general there is no well-developed fishery for mackerel in Chile. This species is targeted in Peru, but catch landings have fluctuated. Between 1985–2007, the highest landings of 390,000 mt were in 2002. However based on acoustic sampling, biomass since 1999 has been reduced likely due to a shift in abundance and changes water temperature (Cardenas pers comm 2008).

Northeast Pacific
An assessment of the northeastern Pacific stock that extends north of Ounta Abreojos, Baja California north to southeastern Alaska shows spawning stock biomass (SSB) in a period of low abundance from 1940–1977, and then increasing in the late 1970s reaching a peak of 662,372 mt in 1982. Since 1982 spawning stock biomass (SSB) has declined, reaching an estimate of 86,777 mt in 2007. The recommended harvest quota in the U.S. for the 2007–2008 fishing season is 361% higher than the 2006–2007 quota, and higher than the maximum yield since 1992–2003 (Dorval et al. 2007).

Northwest Pacific
Based on stock assessments of populations of this species in the Japan and the Tsushima Current between 1995–2005 (Watanabe 2009), SSB peaked in 1979 at 1,400,000 mt, and then declined to less than 38,000 mt in 2002, where it remained low but stable until 2004 when it increased to 300,000 mt in 2006 and then has slightly declined. In the Tsushima Current, SSB since 1973 averaged 350,000 mt, with a peak of 550,000 mt in 1989 and a low of 100,000 mt in 2004, and then has increased again to about 200,000 mt in 2006. Both stocks have increased in the past 10–12 years, likely due to better recruitment associated environmental changes and reduction in number of vessels and seasonal closures.

Stable

This species is caught with purse seines, often together with sardines, sometimes using light. It is also caught with trolling lines, gill nets, traps, beach seines, and midwater trawls. It is taken in sports fishing in California, and in small purse seines. In Mexico, it is caught in small purse seines, drift nets and recreational fisheries.

Some countries have management schemes and local regulations to protect the stocks of this species (Collette and Nauen 1983). For example, the USA has catch quotas in place based on estimated population biomass. In the northeastern Pacific, current catch efforts are relatively low and in recent years, current catch is well below this recommended quota or harvest guideline.