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The Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, is a pelagic schooling fish species found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean.
In the Northwest Atlantic it occurs from Labrador to North Carolina. The Northwest Atlantic population of mackerel consists of two major components which follow different migratory patterns but do not appear to be genetically distinct. Mackerel of both components overwinter along the edge of the continental shelf from Sable Island, Nova Scotia, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The southern component moves inshore and northward to spawn in the Mid-Atlantic Bight in spring and then moves further northward into the Gulf of Maine in summertime. The northern component reaches Southern New England waters in late May and then moves northward to the Gulf of St Lawrence where spawning occurs in June and July. Fish of both groups move southward en route to overwintering areas during the autumn.
Male and female mackerel grow at about the same rate, reaching a maximum age of about 20 years and a maximum fork length of about 47 cm. Most mackerel are sexually mature by the age of three years.
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