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Atlantic King Macketel
| KING MACKERAL Scomberomorus cavalla AKA: Kingfish, Cavalla, King, Snakes, Smokers |
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Physical description:
The body of the king mackerel is iron-gray along the back, and silvery on the sides and belly with pale to dusky fins. Small king mackerel may have spots along the sides as do Spanish mackerel, but may be distinguished from the latter species by the lateral line, which dips sharply, and also by the color of the anterior dorsal fin, which is gray instead of black.
Biological description:
King mackerel prefer warm waters, and seldomly enter waters below 68° F. The affinity for warm water and the availability of food result in extensive migrations along the southeastern United States, south in the fall and north in the spring. They are caught as far north as the Gulf of Maine, but more often from Virginia south to Brazil, including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. King mackerel spawn from April to November, with males maturing between their second and third year, and females between their third and fourth year. Largest of the mackerels, the king mackerel may reach a length of 5.5 feet and weigh 100 pounds. They feed on other migratory fishes, squid and shrimp, and may be seen leaping out of the water in pursuit of prey.
south Atlantic Federal Regulations
(For areas three-200 miles off the coasts of NC, SC, GA, and east Florida)Commercial:
For information on Gulf king mackerel allocations affecting the east coast of Florida, contact NOAA Fisheries, southeast Regional Office (SERO) at 727/824-5305. For additional information on king and Spanish mackerel, visit NOAA Fisheries SERO - Making Sense of Mackerel.
- Permit moratorium in place.
- Size limit is 24" FL.
- Fishermen may possess undersized king mackerel less than or equal to 5% by weight of the king mackerel on board.
- Season opens March 1, and closes the end of February, or when quota is filled. Quota=3.71 million pounds.
- Must be landed with heads and fins intact.
- The fishing year for Atlantic king mackerel is March 1 through the end of February. For the area in Florida between the Volusia/Brevard and Miami-Dade/Monroe County boundaries, king mackerel are considered part of the Atlantic group from April 1 through October 31.
- From NY to Flager/Volusia County, Florida from April 1 to March 31, the trip limit is 3,500 pounds.
- From Fager/Volusia to Volusia/Brevard County lines from April to October 31, the trip limit is 75 fish.
- In Monroe County, Florida, from April 1 to October 31, the trip limit is 1,250 pounds.
- See 2008 Fishery Bulletin (PDF) reminder about Seasonal Boundary Changes off the Florida Coast.
- Authorized gear includes the following:
- For Atlantic king mackerel north of Cape Lookout, north Carolina Light (34° 37'N. latitude),all gear is authorized except fot drift gillnets and long gillnets.
- For Atlantic king mackeral south of Cape Lookout Light, automatic reel, bandit gear, hand-line, rod & reel, pelagic longline and run-around gill nets. A minimum size of 4.75" stretch mesh is required for run-around gill nets.
- No more than 400,000 pounds may be harvested by purse seines.
Recreational:
- Size limit is 24" FL.
- Bag limit is 3 per person from Georgia to New York, and 2 per person off Florida. (Can not combine federal and state bag limits; in federal waters off Florida, bag limit is state bag limit.)
- Fishing year begins in January.
- Must be landed with heads and fins intact.
- Charter/headboat operators must possess a vessel permit for coastal migratory fish and must comply with bag limits. Persons on charter boat trips of more than 24 hours may possess up to 2 bag limits.
- Fishery Bulletin (PDF) reminder - Data collection requirements in the for-hire (charter/headboat) fisheries.
