SPECIES PROFILEForFamily: Scombridae (Mackerel and Tuna)DescriptionThe king mackerel has an elongated and very laterally compressed body. Its body color is mainly iridescent blue with greenish highlights near the dorsal and silver sides. The first dorsal fin has spines and is uniformly colored with the body while the second dorsal fin is much darker and composed of rays. After the second dorsal are eight to nine finlets. The underside of the king horse mackerel is silvery with eight to nine finlets following the anal fin. The lateral line lies just above the shoulder and descends quickly below the second dorsal fin and continues a winding track to the tail. They typically weigh between 5 pounds and 40 pounds, with most males weighing less than ten pounds and most females more. Average lengths are 50 cm to 90 cm. Some reports indicate weights on the order of one hundred pounds and lengths over a meter and a half. Juvenile kings and/or males under 10 pounds tend to have brown and yellowish spots (similar to Spanish mackerel). The tail has a large fork and the pectoral fins are scaled (Froese and Pauly, 2011; Kells and Carpenter, 2011). (Figure 1; www.dnr.sc.gov, 2013)Figure 1 King mackerel Scomberomorus cavallaDistributionWestern Atlantic: from Maine (rarely), United States to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a high concentration in the Gulf of Mexico. They are found in the coastal waters of North Carolina. The water temperature can limit their distribution with a preference of 20°C-29°C (FLMNH, 2013). (Figure 1; Froese, R. and D. Pauly, 2011)Figure 1 highlighted in red and yellow shows the distribution and density of Scomberomorus cavalla along the east coast.HabitatJacks are preferable to warmer waters with... .... middle of paper ......nter. A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011. Print.-Marine-Species. South Carolina Department of Resources 2013. February 5, 2014.-Moyle, Peter B and Joseph J. Cech. Fish: an introduction to ichthyology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988. Print.-Perrotta, T. King Mackerel. Florida Museum of Natural Resources 2013. February 5, 2014. -Schaefer, Charles H. and William A. Fable. “Mark-recapture studies off the east coast of Florida.” EBSCO Host (1994): n. page. Web.-Wall, Carrie C. "Links between environmental conditions and recreational catches of king mackerel (Scomberomorus Cavalla) off west-central Florida." Oceanography of fisheries (2009): . EBSCO host. Web