Mackerel is called mackerel in China.

Mackerel is also known as "mackerel". Common name mackerel, mackerel barfish, green catfish, oil carcass fish, mackerel, green striped bass. Atlantic mackerel, Boston mackerel, tin-ker mackerel, Pacific mackerel, Japanese mackerel, chub mackerel, American mackerel, blue mackerel, bamboo mackerel.

The mackerel is stout and slightly flat, fusiform, generally 20-40 centimeters in length and 150-400 grams in weight. The head is large, the tip of the front like conical, eye position is high, the mouth is large, the upper and lower jaw is long, each with a line of fine teeth, plow bone and crotch bone have teeth. The body is covered with fine round scales, the back of the body is greenish-black or dark blue, and there are irregular dark-blue worm-eaten lines above the horizontal line of the pectoral fins on both sides of the body. Abdomen white and slightly yellowish. Dorsal fins 2, far apart, the first dorsal fin fin spines 9-10, the second dorsal and anal fins opposite each other, its back up and down each 5 small fins; caudal fin y forked, the base of the two sides of the two elevated ridges; pectoral fins light brown, the anal fins light pink, the other fins are yellowish.

Mackerel are distributed in the western Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean near the coast, the offshore are produced. In China, there are mainly Ocean Island, Lianqingshi, Dasha and Shawai fishing grounds, the fishing season is generally spring season for April-July; fall season for September-December. South China Sea coast can be caught throughout the year.

The mackerel feeds mainly on shellfish larvae, worms, fish eggs and small fish, while it itself is food for whales, sharks, dolphins, tuna and seabirds. In spring, mackerel migrate toward the coast to spawn. Females lay between 200,000 and 400,000 eggs. Each egg contains a small drop of oil so they can float on the surface of the water. It takes four to six days for the eggs to hatch. The young grow rapidly, to an average length of 5 centimeters (2 inches) in two months. In the fall, the mackerel swim back into the deep sea.