It is a herd-forming fish found on both sides of the North Atlantic. It is caught in a maximum length of 500 g-1 kg. Small ones are called "Tinker mackerel". It is a migratory species and is divided into northern and southern mackerel, the northern species spawn in the North Sea and the Skagerrak Strait (May-July), the southern species breed in the waters of Spain and Portugal (February-May). After breeding, they mix in Norwegian waters and spend the whole winter here, migration begins again during the breeding period.
It has a thin skin, the back is characteristically greenish blue and iridescent silver with dark stripes, the skin becomes dull when the fish dies. It is an oily and very tasty fish and contains a high amount of Omega 3.
This fish, which has a very serious commercial importance, is caught within the regional quotas determined by ICES (International Council for the Evaluation of Water Resources).