What is Atlantic mackerel?
{{Speciesbox | name = Atlantic Mackerel | image = Scomber scombrus.png | image_width = 250px | taxon = Scomber scombrus | authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]] }} The '''Atlantic mackerel''' (''Scomber scombrus''), also known as '''Boston mackerel''', or simply '''mackerel''', is a [[pelagic]] schooling [[species]] of [[mackerel]] found on both sides of the North [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The Atlantic Mackerel is by far the most common of the ten species of the family that are caught in [[British]] waters. It is extremely common in huge shoals migrating towards the coast to feed on small [[fish]] and prawns during the [[summer]]. Abundant in cold and temperate shelf areas, it forms large schools near the surface. They overwinter in deeper waters but move closer to shore in spring when water temperatures range between 11° and 14°C. In north-east Atlantic: North Sea (east) and British Isles (west). The North Sea stock decreased dramatically in the [[1960s]] because of direct overfishing. Male and female Atlantic mackerel grow at about the same rate, reaching a maximum age of about 20 years and a maximum fork length of about 47 centimetres (19&nbsp;in). Most Atlantic mackerel are sexually mature by the age of three years. {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Scombriformes]] [[Category:Edible fish]]