Trachurus murphyi
The South Pacific jack mackerel, the base of one of the world's largest fisheries. It comes to schools near the piers and rocks of Chile and Peru and takes jigs, sabiki and natural bait.
Also called: jurel-chileno, jurel, carapau-chileno
The Chilean jack mackerel is a carangid of the genus Trachurus, the genus of the jack mackerels, which lives in the South Pacific, mainly off Peru and Chile, with records from Ecuador, New Zealand and southern Argentina. It forms large schools from the coast out to open sea and eats fish larvae and small crustaceans. It reaches 70 cm and lives up to 16 years, but the usual size near the coast is well below that. It supports an enormous industrial purse-seine fishery, for human consumption and fishmeal, managed in international waters by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO). For amateur anglers, it turns up at jetties, piers and rocks when the schools come close, and from boats with jigs.
Elongated, slightly compressed body, metallic blue or dark gray back, silvery flanks and belly. Black spot on the upper edge of the gill cover. Lateral line fully covered in scales, which become large, hard scutes at the rear. Long, sickle-shaped pectoral fin; darkened fins. Differs from the xerelete and the greater amberjack in its slimmer body and the line of scutes along the whole lateral line.
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Does not occur in Brazil. South Pacific, mainly off Peru and Chile, with records from Ecuador, southern Argentina and New Zealand.
Habitat: From the coast to open sea, in schools; comes close to jetties, piers, bays and rocky points when the water and bait favor it.
The arrival of schools on the coast varies greatly from year to year with sea temperature and El Niño; in central Chile it is usually better in summer and autumn.
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Bites by day, with peaks at dawn and late afternoon; at night, light on the water attracts the schools.
Strong changes in sea temperature shift the schools.
Rough sea hurts jetty and rock fishing.
Dark nights favor light fishing.
Little effect at sea.
Not applicable at sea.
Not very sensitive when the school is feeding.
Strong wind makes casting light lures difficult.
Moving tide and current at jetty points concentrate the schools.
From the surface to 30 m in amateur fishing.
lures
natural baits
accessories
When the school comes close, a sabiki with a jig on the end can bring in several fish at once; respect the minimum size and release the small ones.
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Old global assessment. The South Pacific stock is managed by SPRFMO, with annual quotas for industrial fishing.
In Peru the minimum catch size for jack mackerel is 31 cm total length, the value from R.M. nº 209-2001-PE, which also appears in the current Ministry of Production table. It is prohibited to extract, transport and sell below the size.
Source: R.M. nº 209-2001-PE, Annex I (Peru); PRODUCE minimum size table
In Chile the minimum extraction size for jack mackerel is 26 cm fork length, set by D.S. nº 458/1981, according to a technical report from the Subsecretaría de Pesca (Subpesca). The report dates from 2012 and discusses revising the measure; we have not confirmed later changes for recreational fishing.
Source: D.S. nº 458/1981 (Chile Ministry of Economy), per Technical Report R.PESQ. nº 107/2012 of Subpesca
It handles release well if done quickly: remove the hook in the water or with the fish wet, and let it go right away.
Dark, oily, tasty flesh; fried, grilled, pickled and widely canned.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01122, b = 2.92; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana com dados da espécie e do gênero, comprimento total); peso máximo calculado por esta relação). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
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