Horse mackerel is a marine ray-finned fish from the horse mackerel family. The genus name comes from the words "trachys" and "oura", which in Greek mean "rough" and "tail", respectively. Representatives of the species are of valuable commercial value. All over the world, horse mackerel is eaten and used for preparing canned food, appetizers, and snacks.

The fish leads a fast pace of life, which is why its fillet contains virtually no fat. Doctors recommend eating dietary meat for people suffering from hypertension, coronary artery disease, metabolic disorders, and atherosclerosis.

Horse mackerel is a source of valuable omega-3 fatty acids that support health of cardio-vascular system. Its benefits do not end there. A representative of marine fauna has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland, nervous system, and increases the body's endurance.

The weight of commercial fish, as a rule, does not exceed 400 g. At the same time, the largest horse mackerel that was caught in the entire history of fishing weighed 2 kg.

Description and types

Horse mackerel is a pelagic schooling fish with an elongated spindle-shaped body reaching 30 cm in length. The dorsal fins are well developed, and the pectoral fins are shorter than the ventral ones. The body of the fish is laterally compressed and ends in a caudal peduncle. The back is covered with small bluish-gray scales, and the abdomen is silvery. The curved lateral line is represented by bony scutes with pointed ends, which form a sawtooth ridge, dangerous to enemies. It protects mackerel from large relatives -,. Her life expectancy is 9 years. Being a predator, it feeds on cephalopods, small fish, zooplankton and benthic invertebrates.

Horse mackerel lives in warm waters, stays near the bottom, rarely goes to depth, inhabits areas near coastal shelves. Hunts in large flocks in surface layers of water, reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h.

Fish spawn in the tropics and subtropics all year round, and in mid-latitude waters - during the warm period. Female horse mackerel are highly fertile, each laying about 200,000 eggs at a time. Interestingly, until the age of one year, the fry take refuge from predators under the dome of jellyfish. Juveniles feed on zooplankton.

Fish meat without small bones, tender and tasty with a specific sour taste and aroma.

The commercial importance of horse mackerel is difficult to overestimate. It is fried, boiled, smoked and dried. In addition, sea fish is baked, salted and pickled. Canned food is prepared from it vegetable oil or tomato sauce, cold/hot appetizers, soups, pates.

Currently, the horse mackerel family includes more than 150 species of fish.

The most popular representatives:

1. Common (Atlantic). Lives in the Mediterranean, North, Black and Baltic seas, the Atlantic Ocean, and coastal waters South Africa and Argentina. The body length of the Atlantic horse mackerel does not exceed 50 cm, and its weight is 1.5 kg.
2. South. Found off the coast of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia. The fish goes into the water column up to 300 m. The head and mouth are large, the body reaches 60 cm in length, 8 spines are concentrated on the first dorsal fin.
3. Mediterranean (Caucasian horse mackerel). Geography of habitat: Marmara, Black, Mediterranean and Azov seas, Atlantic Ocean. The lateral line of horse mackerel is covered with bony scutes. The length of an adult depends on the food supply and growing conditions and varies from 20 to 50 cm. The color of the belly is silvery-white, the back is bluish-gray.

Mediterranean mackerel consists of 2 subspecies: Black Sea and Mediterranean.

1. Japanese. Inhabits the East China Sea, the waters of Korea and Southern Japan. In autumn it is found off the coast of Primorye. The fish lives at a depth of 50-275 m below the water surface. Body length reaches 35-50 cm.
2. Peruvian (Chilean). Habitat includes coastal zones of New Zealand, Peru, Chile, south Pacific Ocean and Australia. The body length of an adult fish reaches 20-40 cm. It swims at a depth of 15-60 m.

In the tropics of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans Cigar or ten-finned mackerel are common. A characteristic feature of which are additional fins located behind the second dorsal and anal fins. The body of ten-finned horse mackerel is almost round in cross-section, practically not compressed from the sides. Along the rear part the side line is strewn with shields. The teeth are located on the tongue, palatine bones, jaws and vomer.

Horse mackerel belongs to the class of the most important commercial fish. Each year, the volume of their catch varies from 300 thousand tons to 1.4 million tons. Interestingly, 90% of the catch comes from Peruvian horse mackerel.

Chemical composition

The nutritional value of mackerel depends on the type of culinary processing. 100 g of boiled fillet contains 130 kcal, fried fillet - 190 kcal. canned sardines in oil increases to 238 kcal.

The energy ratio of fish is 65%: 35%: 0%.

Table No. 1 “Nutritional value of horse mackerel”

Components	Content per 100 g of product, g
	Boiled	Fried
	72,5	60,5
	20,0	20,3
	4,9	10,5
	2,6	4,7
	1,48	1,48
	1,0	1,6
	0,11	0,11
	–	3,7
and dextrins	–	3,7
	–	0,3

Table No. 2 “Chemical composition of horse mackerel”

Name	Nutrient content per 100 g of product, ml
	Boiled	Fried
Vitamins
	6,2	6,5
	1,0	3,2
	0,8	1,1
	0,11	0,16
	0,1	0,11
	0,01	0,01
	656,0	1352,0
	240,0	271,0
	190,0	352,0
	75,0	160
	43,0	80,0
	16,0	41,0
	1,6	1,4
	0,8	0,9
	0,21	0,43
	0,15	0,11
	0,06	0,09
	0,03	0,03
	0,02	0,055
	0,005	0,004
	0,003	0,006
	0,015	0,02

In autumn, horse mackerel accumulates 15% of valuable fish oil, so during this period it is a particularly desirable trophy for fishermen.

Which is healthier: freshwater or sea fish?

Fish is a valuable nutritious product for the human body, replenishing reserves of high-quality protein, vitamins A, C, E, and mineral compounds. It is interesting that the life expectancy of peoples who live near marine areas and regularly consume seafood is 5-10 years longer than people who do not eat it. The first place belongs to residents of Monaco (89 years), second – Macau (84 years), third – Japan (83 years). As you can see, these countries are located along the Mediterranean, South China and Japan seas.

It turns out that fish protein is much more nutritious than poultry and is easier to digest than meat. In addition, the inhabitants depths of the sea, unlike freshwater relatives, contain useful acids Omega-3, vital for the functioning of the body. are part of cell membranes, on which the interchange of signals between nerve cells, efficiency of the retina, brain, heart.

Interestingly, the amount of phosphorus and calcium in sea fish fillets is 40% higher than the content of macroelements in,. In addition, mackerel contains iodine, which is simply absent in representatives of fresh water bodies.

It is believed that with regular consumption of 100 g of sea fish per day, the risk of developing heart disease is minimized. While the meat of inhabitants of fresh water bodies is capable of accumulating heavy metals, radionuclides and pesticides from more susceptible to contamination environment. It is less pure than sea fish and is much inferior in the amount of minerals, vitamins and minerals.

Usefulness of horse mackerel

In 2004, a record was recorded for the production of horse mackerel: 80 tons of representatives of the species were caught in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Due to the abundance of omega-3, sea fish is included in the diet of people with metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases: hypertension, ischemia, atherosclerosis.

Benefits of eating horse mackerel:

1. Delivers construction material into the body (protein) for the formation of organs, tissues, cells, hemoglobin, hormones, and energy synthesis.
2. Nourishes the thyroid gland, saturating it with iodine, and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
3. Doesn't load digestive tract, therefore it is indicated for consumption as an alternative to meat for people with gastrointestinal diseases.
4. Increases life expectancy.
5. Improves vision.
6. Normalizes nervous activity.
7. Reduces the level, preventing the development of heart diseases. It has been proven that when eating sea fish 1-2 times a week, the risk of stroke is reduced by 22%, and heart attack by 2 times.
8. Has an antitumor effect.
9. Strengthens bone tissue and the body's immune defense.

When boiled, horse mackerel is a dietary product (130 kcal per 100 g of fillet), so it can be included in the diet of a person losing weight. In particular, following protein, Atkins,. Active consumption of fish improves the condition of the skin due to the fact that it helps dermal cells retain moisture, as a result, protects it from withering.

Non-stop product

Horse mackerel fish is a predator that is capable of accumulating mercury compounds in meat, which have a detrimental effect on the formation of the nervous system. Therefore, nutritionists recommend excluding it from the menu for young children, pregnant and lactating women. Otherwise, contraindications to eating fish end in individual intolerance to the product.

Fish for pancreatitis

In case of inflammation of the pancreas, fish oil should be excluded from the diet of patients. Despite the usefulness of the product, it has Negative influence on the cells of the damaged organ, increasing the load on them. The problem with this phenomenon is that to break down fat you need an enzyme synthesized by the pancreas - lipase. In the acute stage of the disease, the enzymatic activity of the organ is purposefully suppressed to achieve remission. As a result, during this period lipase is produced in insufficient quantities, which creates difficulties in the process of digesting food.

For pancreatitis during the period of remission, it is permissible to introduce fish with a fat content of up to 8% into the diet of patients. These include: horse mackerel, sea ​​bass, carp, bluefish, blue whiting, bream. At the same time, a single serving should not exceed 150 g. The preferred method of processing fillets is boiling or steaming.

Principles of cooking horse mackerel

Sea fish meat without large bones, tender, slightly sour in taste. Horse mackerel is sold fresh, frozen or canned (in oil or tomato juice) species.

Traditional dishes with horse mackerel:

• in Iceland - with pickled onions or wine vinegar;
• in Turkey - with spices, herbs and;
• in Greece - with and;
• in Japan - with, dry herbs;
• in Russia and Ukraine - served lightly salted and dried.

To fully reveal the spicy smell and taste of fish, while maintaining all the beneficial properties, it is prepared with the addition of minimum quantity fat at high temperatures.

How to cook horse mackerel:

• bake with herbs in the oven or on the grill;
• do diet soup or aromatic soup;
• fry in corn breading;
• subject to cold or hot smoking;
• marinate with natural vinegar or tomato;
• grind into minced meat, from which to make meatballs and cutlets.

Canned sea fish is used to prepare soups, cold appetizers, pates and sandwiches. The spicy taste of horse mackerel is harmoniously emphasized by spicy herbs and sour berry sauces. Fish is combined with fresh herb salads, boiled vegetables, dark rice.

Cooking rules:

1. Control time heat treatment fish. The smaller the piece, the less time it takes to cook it. The horse mackerel carcass is cooked for no more than 15-20 minutes, and the fillet – for 7-15 minutes.

Prolonged heat treatment contributes to the loss of vitamins; the fish ceases to “hold” its structure and turns into a tasteless porridge.

1. Remove the pungent iodine odor of sea fish. For these purposes, horse mackerel is soaked in acidified water. lemon juice, or within an hour.
2. You cannot use the head of a fish for cooking, as harmful substances are deposited in it, causing poisoning of the body.
3. Before cooking carcass sea ​​predator pre-defrost in cold water. Under no circumstances should it be placed in warm or hot liquid, otherwise it will lose its appearance and become tasteless.
4. During cooking, do not allow rapid boiling. In addition, excessive amounts of water worsen the taste of horse mackerel. If possible, it should be taken as little as possible. In this case, cook the fish over low heat for no longer than 7-20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece, in a small volume of water.

The quality of the dish directly depends on the quality of the raw materials. When selecting sea fish, you should carefully inspect the carcass. It should be spotless and completely covered with scales with transparent eyes, bright red gills, and a characteristic iodine odor. Do not buy frozen fish with icy deposits and whitish spots in opaque packaging. The glaze layer should be uniform along the entire length and, ideally, not exceed 5 mm. In addition, make sure that the carcass has the correct configuration, without distortions, unevenness or kinks.

It is a protein weight loss system aimed at satisfying hunger, giving muscles strength, burning subcutaneous fat. The main advantages of the method are the rapid rate of weight loss and long-term retention of results. As a result, the lost kilograms do not return immediately after completing the course, as happens with three- and five-day express diets. The disadvantage of a fish diet is nutritional imbalance. As a result, protein promotes the removal of calcium and phosphorus from the body, which is accompanied by a deterioration in the condition of hair, nails, and increased bone fragility. In addition, the load on the kidneys increases. Contraindications: gout, pancreatitis, colitis, dysbiosis, kidney dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome, increased blood clotting.

lunch – (up to 5%) – 100 g, boiled fish(mackerel) – 200 g, vegetable salad with greens – 200 g;

afternoon snack - green tea without – 300 ml;

dinner – leaves – 5 pcs., low-fat cottage cheese – 150 g, boiled fish (pollock) – 200 g;

before bed – green tea – 200 ml.

It is also allowed to use 1%, boiled shrimp, citrus fruit. It is recommended to give preference to fresh fish, but it is not prohibited to boil frozen carcasses.

The maximum duration of observance is 2 weeks. If it is necessary to repeat the protein diet, you should take a break for at least 2.5 months.

Conclusion

Horse mackerel is a commercial schooling fish, characteristic feature which consists of bony scutes along the lateral line of the entire length. They are designed to bend her body during fast swimming, and also protect her from predators. Nutritionists note that horse mackerel meat has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular, nervous and digestive system, thyroid gland. With regular consumption of sea fish (2-3 times a week, 150 g), the risk of developing osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and hypothyroidism is reduced. The benefits of horse mackerel are not limited to this, it normalizes metabolism, strengthens the immune system, improves skin condition, stabilizes the level of hemoglobin in the blood, increases intellectual potential, efficiency, relieves lethargy and apathy, and maintains the normal speed of nerve impulses.

Horse mackerel is a nutritious product widely used in cooking for preparing appetizers, first and second courses. It is salted, smoked, dried, stewed, steamed, boiled and fried. Because of the rich chemical composition, abundance of useful omega-3,6 acids, vitamins, macro- and microelements, easily digestible protein and essential amino acids, sea fish is used in dietary therapy to combat overweight. For a week of observance protein menu you can get rid of up to 5 kg.

The usefulness of horse mackerel depends on the conditions under which it is kept. Ecologically caught fish unfavorable conditions(polluted water bodies) poses a danger to human health. Therefore, the purchase of goods should be made exclusively from trusted manufacturers, subjecting the products to visual inspection.

Several decades ago, horse mackerel was widely known, widespread and popular, but then it almost disappeared from the shelves and undeservedly became half-forgotten. Therefore, it is worth getting to know her again and sorting it out. Wikipedia and the reference book on ichthyology say that the ray-finned horse mackerel sea ​​fish from the order Perch and the horse mackerel family.

What kind of animal is horse mackerel?

This fish small body, full of swiftness, begins with a pointed head and ends with a thin base of the tail, similar in shape to a weaving shuttle or spindle, slightly flattened on the sides. On her body are small fins and a sharply defined forked tail, similar to the feathers of an arrow. From Latin, the scientific name of horse mackerel, Trachurus, literally means rough tail.

This fish is not large, on average 30–50 cm long, weighing on average 400–500 grams; individuals up to 60 cm in length and weighing more than 1.5 kg are very rarely found. Its back is dark, gray with a blue tint, its belly is almost white, pearlescent. In flocks swimming in sea ​​water, in the photo this fish looks like a glare of light, its small scales are so mirror-like. She has rather large eyes and a large predatory mouth.

Horse mackerel is a full-fledged predator. All the contours of its body indicate that this fish is not one of those who lazily lies at the bottom, waiting for the gaping food to come on its own. It lives in schools, migrates often and far, and feeds on small crustaceans, invertebrates, and even small fellows like anchovies.

At the same time this small fish and the food itself for more large predators Therefore, it is not surprising that the fish’s body is equipped with protection: the pelvic fins have sharp spines, and, characteristic of this breed of fish, the lateral line is covered with sharp bony scutes with spines. This fish is not accustomed to familiarity, so you need to handle it carefully so as not to get hurt.

Habitat and production of horse mackerel

Prefers to live in shallow depths, from 50 to 100 meters, sometimes deeper, but not more than 300 meters, usually in the coastal shelf areas of continents in many seas of the world: the Mediterranean, Black, Northern, Atlantic, Pacific (East China Sea) and Indian seas oceans.

Horse mackerel is very widespread in warm seas; it can be found, especially due to seasonal migration, off the coast South America, Argentina, Africa.

Varieties of commercial species

Science knows about one and a half hundred varieties of horse mackerel, however, not all of them are commercial.

Several varieties are known, the main ones in production; their names also include several varieties:

Horse mackerel in cooking

The most famous and widespread types of this fish on the counter are ordinary and Black Sea.

The calorie content of this fish is low, only 114 kcal per 100 grams, and taste qualities deserve a lot of attention.

Horse mackerel meat is juicy, with a pleasant, special taste. The fat content of this fish is low, lower than that of mackerel, but higher than, for example, cod. In addition, horse mackerel does not have small bones, like herring, for example. Therefore, for culinary specialists this fish is valuable both for its convenience and variety of cooking methods.

You can buy horse mackerel for culinary experiments chilled or frozen. In any case, you can and should prepare a lot of dishes from it, and for long-term storage you can freeze it.

Cooking methods:

But this fish has earned respect and popularity not only for its variety of dishes, but also for its properties.

Useful properties and nutritional value of horse mackerel

First of all It should be noted that the meat of this fish is of low fat content, so boiled horse mackerel, whose calorie content is low, is a valuable dietary product, including when following a diet to reduce weight. In particular, horse mackerel is recommended for diabetics for weight loss.

Horse mackerel contains various vitamins (vitamins B, PP, A, C, E and others), microelements, polyunsaturated fatty acid Omega 3:

• the phosphorus contained in this product helps improve brain function, relieves lethargy, and improves the functioning of neurons;
• iodine improves metabolism and supports thyroid function;
• iron, zinc, manganese are involved in metabolism, supporting protective forces body;
• Omega 3 improves the condition of blood vessels and skin, protects against cardiovascular diseases.

Restrictions and contraindications

In addition to being beneficial, any product can be harmful.

First of all, mackerel, like other types of fish, Contraindicated for those who have food allergies to fish and seafood.

Besides, due to the fact that this fish lives in coastal areas warm seas at shallow depths, it can accumulate harmful elements from polluted waters, in particular mercury. Mercury affects development nervous system and its development, therefore these types of fish are highly not recommended for young children, pregnant and lactating mothers.

When cooking, be sure to remove its head. It is in the head and gills that the main accumulation occurs harmful substances, so the heads should be thrown away without being used in any form.

The Black Sea mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus ponticus is a small subspecies of the Mediterranean Trachurus mediterraneus.

This is a Black Sea fish a few minutes after being caught near Gurzuf.
Photo: http://egenika.gallery.ru/

A decrease in the size of individuals in a part of the population that, in one way or another, ends up in a body of water with a smaller volume of water - even if it is quite large in itself - is practically a biological law.
Similarly, the Mediterranean anchovy was crushed in Black and Seas of Azov before anchovy, the Atlantic herring in the Baltic was transformed into a subspecies of Salak, and stuck after they laced from Baltic Sea, in Ladoga and Onega smelt degenerated into smelt.
At the same time, the new subspecies differ from the original species in taste - due to the different composition of the water of the reservoir that gave them shelter and the differences in it species composition food base.

Having settled in the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic some thousands of years ago, and then colonized the Black Sea, the horse mackerel has already reached Moscow. In size it is not inferior in the capital yet, but in quality compared to freshly caught fish it is quite obvious


the lens has become cloudy - and ideally the eyes should be clear, as in the first photo.

But I fell in love with it so much when I lived in Crimea - which was still Ukrainian, and therefore cosmopolitanly common - and I miss it so much that I bought one, with a clouded lens.
Moreover, in the first time after the heroic annexation of the peninsula, horse mackerel was offered in the capital for 1 thousand rubles per kg - and now I saw it at the market on Prazhskaya for 250 rubles: Muscovites probably didn’t understand it, they didn’t try it, but they are catching it now in Crimea, without regard to any norms of the maximum permissible seizure, and this overfishing needs to be sold somewhere.

The horse mackerel's intestines turned out to be empty, so I didn't gut the fish - and didn't even rip off the tail scutes


although for the sake of pomp it would be necessary.

So, without scraping out the tail stems, and placed it on a well-heated frying pan.


Only I even overheated the oil - and the delicate skin immediately burst.

But this is even good: because it is better that these prickly shields do not get into the mouth - so the skin would still have to be removed. In general, it’s a blast anyway

But no matter how much I was in a hurry to eat the fried horse mackerel with cold beer, I immediately put some of it aside and dry-salted it with Extra salt


I place the carcasses crosswise in an enamel container, and a bag - or even two - to make the pan easier to wash later.

And a day later he poured a stream cold water under the tap: washed off the remaining salt


and opened it across the back.

It turned out just great

Some of the lightly salted ones were eaten immediately, and a few pieces were dried: hung inside the refrigerator on straightened paper clips, clinging to the shelf bars. They hung for 6 days. I took off the hanged ones - but not yet dried: the skin is dry and taut, and the flesh inside is elastic

Just before eating - and admiring - you need to remove the skin. Use a knife blade to hook it at the base dorsal fin- and remove it first from one side and then from the other.
And if you don’t remove it, with the shields that stretch along the side line, you can not only scratch your lips, hurt your throat, but also simply choke

Muscles shine with fat


It's incredibly delicious, I haven't been this happy in a long time.
I just salted it by eye - so I can’t tell you how much salt to put on 1 kg of fish.
It needs to be lightly salted.
Yes, and one more thing: beer, wine and vodka are not necessary - although they are usually wonderful in themselves - but for me lightly salted fish I really like it with sweet black coffee and a hot egg in a bag.

And these are the scutes on the caudal peduncle that I wrote about above - which you can’t eat, and they definitely need to be torn off


This is an important systematic feature of the family. Carangidae/syn. Horse mackerel, which also includes horse mackerel, and every time I am surprised how people manage not to notice them - and confuse horse mackerel with a completely obvious and fundamentally different smooth-sided mackerel.
Well, if you’ve already found yourself in Crimea, try both: it’s clear that there, freshly caught, they are even tastier than those brought to Moscow.

general information

Horse mackerel

Horse mackerel fish belongs to the Stavrididae family and unites several species of important commercial fish under one name. In total, the Stavrid family includes about 150 species of fish, and only four of them are eaten and caught in industrial scale. Horse mackerel belongs to the group of pelagic fish that lead a schooling lifestyle.

There are such types of mackerel fish as:

• The common horse mackerel or Trachurus, a genus of predatory fish that lives in sea waters.
• The yellowstripe or Selaroides leptolepis is a small, schooling fish that lives in the seas.

Spring view

In representatives of the horse mackerel family, the body is laterally compressed, but its shape can be different. Thus, the common horse mackerel has a very elongated, spindle-shaped body, covered with small scales. Horse mackerel has 2 fins on its back. The first of them, the front and short one, has spines ranging from 3 to 9. The rear and long fin has soft feathers ranging from 18 to 37 pieces.

The color of horse mackerel is interesting, which may be within color range from light silver to gray-blue. There are also peculiarities in the structure of horse mackerel fish. The body of the fish is elongated, as a rule, does not exceed 35 cm in length. Horse mackerel has a sawtooth comb, which serves as a protective weapon for the fish against other predators. The largest specimen of mackerel fish reached 70 cm in length and weighed 2 kg. This is truly a record for a fish whose weight rarely exceeds 500 grams.

Lifestyle

Horse mackerel fish

Horse mackerel is a schooling pelagic fish that is a predator. The basis of the diet is zooplankton. Sometimes individuals use benthic and benthic invertebrate organisms such as shrimp as food. It adheres to the mackerel of the continental shelves, occasionally reaching the slopes of the depths. Larvae, as well as juveniles, often swim in schools and hide from others predatory fish under the domes of jellyfish.

Spreading

Horse mackerel fish is common among coastline countries such as Bulgaria, Great Britain, USA, Türkiye and France. Horse mackerel can also be found in the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Japanese and Mediterranean seas. IN Russian Federation Horse mackerel fish is caught on an industrial scale in the Baltic or North Seas.

Horse mackerel fishing

Horse mackerel fish is very capricious in terms of fishing; it is not as easy to catch as it might seem at first glance. When catching this fish, it is necessary to pay very important attention to the quality of the tackle. If the fishing rod is of poor quality or made carelessly, for example, it has an inappropriate weight, the length of the leash does not meet the standards, or an unsuitable hook, then you are unlikely to be able to enjoy the catch. Therefore, it is advised to approach the preparation of hooks very carefully; they must be properly tied, accurately tinned.

Family Stavridae

When horse mackerel is larger in size, it is less demanding to catch. Its fishing is more stable; the hook and line, in this case, can be selected in larger dimensions. From August to April there is a very good bite of small-sized horse mackerel, although it is worth noting that the rest of the time the bite remains at a fairly good level.

Especially excellent fishing occurs when the wind changes and there is a small wave on the water. For example, on the Caucasus coast in the first half of the day the wind blows from the sea to the shore, and in the evening everything happens the other way around. Typically, the sunnier the day, the greater the fluctuation in temperature between water and land and the stronger the wind blows. In the first half of the day and in the second, the wind changes its direction.

In the morning, when the earth warms up and the wind weakens, and then completely calms down and later certain time blowing from the water side, the best bite begins. As for the depth at which mackerel fish are caught, it is difficult to accurately name this figure, since it happens that it grabs the hook on the move, not allowing it to fall. But more often it is caught at the bottom.

If we take statistical data, we can see that this fish lives in all layers of the sea, starting from great depths, which reach sixty-five meters and right up to the very upper layers. It is noteworthy that when a school of fish rises from the lower layers to the top, it creates a sound very reminiscent of the noise of a strong wind. At such moments, she is unsurpassedly caught in

Black Sea mackerel, gathering in flocks and leading a predatory lifestyle. It is one of the most common fish in the Black Sea. Has the correct shape. It is actively used by chefs for its delicate taste.

There are two species of mackerel found in the Black Sea. The first species is about 50 cm long, and the second is only 20 cm. It belongs to the Stavrididae family from the order Perciformes.

The oblong body is covered with small scales and flattened on the sides. May have blue-green shades. The fin is pointed and resembles a fork. Can be seen near the operculum black spot- This distinguishing feature any horse mackerel.

Dolphins are constantly hunting for this fish. Their presence indicates a school of horse mackerel.

Fish live in schools that move in search of food. Only large adult individuals stay away, independently attacking prey. The main food of horse mackerel is the fry of other fish. The smell of wounded fish immediately attracts a school. Sometimes horse mackerel catches small shrimp. In cold weather, it practically does not feed, moving to the bottom of the sea.
Horse mackerel lives in salt water and is rarely found in fresh water bodies.

Reproduction

Spawning begins at a water temperature of 20-22 degrees and lasts from May to August. A female can lay up to 200 thousand eggs. Puberty occurs at the age of two years. Life expectancy is from 7 to 10 years.

Fishing

Anglers are constantly hunting for this type of fish. It has tender meat of medium fat content, which is good for eating baked and fried, or for canned food.

Sea horse mackerel has a taste superior even to ocean horse mackerel.

Horse mackerel is eaten without the head, as it is considered to be poisonous and dangerous to people. Contains a large number of Omega-3 substances, which have a positive effect on the heart and circulatory system.