Spotted mackerel
Scomberomorus munroi
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A slim blue-green mackerel with rows of round spots down the side and a startling steely-blue first dorsal fin. The summer "spotty run" brings them down the Queensland coast in big fast schools that push bait to the surface.
how to recognise it
- indistinct rows of large round spots along the side
- the inner surface of the pectoral fin is dark blue
- a bright steely-blue membrane on the first dorsal fin, which fades to black after capture
- long and slender, bluish-green to silvery-grey
don’t confuse with
- Spanish mackerel — the Spanish mackerel has wavy grey BARS, not rows of round spots, and grows much larger
- School mackerel — school mackerel has fewer, larger grey blotches and a black first dorsal fin
- Grey mackerel — grey mackerel is nearly plain once over 70 cm
- Shark mackerel — the shark mackerel has TWO lateral lines and black spots on the belly rather than rows of round side spots
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 104 cm FL; 10.2 kg.
facts
- habitat
- pelagic
- size
- ~70 cm, to 104 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (104 cm FL; 10.2 kg); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 5 at 3 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 60cm · Limit: 5
source
· verified 2026-10-10
NSW — 60 cm · 5 in total
source
· verified 2026-10-01
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.