Description and characteristics
The Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) is a small-to-medium pelagic fish with an elongated, laterally compressed body and a hard, wavy lateral line. It has a grey-blue back and silvery flanks.
Habitat and distribution
It lives in the salt and brackish waters near the Danube Delta, in large schools in coastal and open Black Sea waters.
Diet and behaviour
It feeds on plankton, crustaceans, small cephalopods and fish. A schooling, very active and seasonally migratory species.
Reproduction
Spawning occurs in spring and summer in salt water, with females laying pelagic eggs. The fry grow quickly and mature within a few years.
Economic and ecological importance
It has economic value, being caught in large schools. Ecologically, it is an important link in the marine food web.
Threats and conservation
It is influenced by intensive fishing and climatic variations. Sustainable stock management is necessary.
Fishing and legal minimum size
It is fished with pelagic nets and trawls. In the table of minimum legal sizes, the Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) has a minimum legal size of 12 cm.
Conclusion
The Mediterranean horse mackerel is a schooling pelagic fish, important for the fishing and marine ecosystems near the Danube Delta.