A fish with many names, large mackerel species from the genus scomberomorus, are hunted in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Australian bluewater hunters pursue the narrow-banded spanish mackerel from their country north through Malaysia, where they're called "tengirri." South Africans hunt the "couta," and for the U.S. Virgin Islanders, it's the "king mackerel."
"Large mackerel have a reputation for being a tricky fish to spear, capable of tremendous speed and power. They are also blessed with excellent eating qualities," Australian spearfishing champion Greg Pickering says. Writing in the Australian Free Diving and Spearfishing News, Issue number 1, 1993, Greg offers the following information on the Australian spanish mackerel:
We eagerly await their southern migration during the summer, when water temperatures reach 20 degrees Centigrade (68 F) or more. Prolific feeders, equipped with razor-sharp teeth, these fish have a high growth rate and a high edible flesh content (70-80 percent). Spanish mackerel prefer deeper edges adjacent to headlands and reefs, channels between exterior coral reefs, offshore islands and current lines. The best conditions for these fish occur during the morning with a rising to full tide, in water visibility 20 to 40 feet. Clear water makes them spooky and they simply don't show in dirty water. Often the first sign of this fish is the appearance of its black stabilizing fins on the tail; sometimes it's the only thing we see of the fish, hiding just at the edge of our visibility.
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Mark Peaslee, mpeaslee@best.com
Copyright © 1997 Terry Maas, BlueWater Freedivers