Wrong mackerel could lead to fines, court fees

MOREHEAD CITY, NC (WWAY) — Fisherman in the state could be facing fines and court fees for catching the wrong  mackerel.

State officials are urging fisherman to learn the difference between king mackerel and Spanish mackerel. Confusing the two can lead to problems because of different catch restrictions. The size limit on king mackerel is twice that of Spanish mackerel and the bag limit for Spanish mackerel is five times the limit for king mackerel.

Fisherman who confuse the two could face fines up to $255 and court fees. Recently, the North Carolina Marine Patrol handed out 12 tickets to recreational fisherman in the state for taking undersized king mackerel and too large of bags of the fish.

Between Friday and Sunday, Marine Patrol says they seized 81 king mackerel from recreational fisherman in the southern coastal area and donated to charity.

To avoid tickets, fisherman must learn the difference between the two fish. Officials say, adult Spanish mackerel and juvenile king mackerel can look a lot alike.

Both are long, slender fish with forked tails and bronze-colored spots on the body. However, Spanish mackerel has a black spot on the first dorsal fin and the king mackerel doesn’t. Also, the king mackerel has a pronounced dip in below the second dorsal fin, the Spanish mackerel gently curves to the tail. As seen in the picture above.

For king mackerel, the size limit is 24 inches from the tip of the snout to the fork in the tail. Recreational fisherman are allowed to keep three of those per person, per day.

For Spanish mackerel the size limit is only 12 inches and fisherman are allowed to keep 15 fish per person, per day.

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