On recording of Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758 (Scombridae) in the coastal zone of Sevastopol and prospects for the revival of its fishing

Abstract

Information on catching of Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758, which has become very rare in the Black Sea in the last 50 years, is considered. Several specimens were found in the period from June 7 to 15, 2018 in the catches of commercial fixed nets in the lower part of the Balaklava Bay and in the coastal zone near the Bay. One specimen was given to the authors for the study; the results of morphometric and biological studies of this specimen are given in the work. The features of the area of Atlantic mackerel are briefly considered, the distribution and biology of four main populations of this species inhabiting European waters are given, with the main attention paid to the Black Sea population. Information on the level of modern fishing of this species in the world as a whole and separately in the Republic of Turkey is given. A retrospective analysis of the catching of mackerel in the Black Sea, in particular, near the coast of Crimea, is made. The reasons for the complete disappearance of its Black Sea population in the late 1960s in the Black and Marmara seas are analyzed. The conclusion was made that, despite the increase in some cases of mackerel catchings off the coast of Crimea, the North Caucasus and Turkey, the Black Sea population of this species either completely disappeared or is in a very depressed state, and the probability of its commercial fishing recovery in the region is minimal. The preliminary conclusion on the basis of the analysis of the given material has been made that the specimen caught in the Sevastopol region may belong to the Mediterranean population of Atlantic mackerel.