Yellowtail scad
Encyclopedia
The yellowtail scad, Atule mate (also known as the northern yellowtail scad, one-finlet scad, deep trevally and omaka), is an abundant species
of small inshore marine
fish
of the jack family, Carangidae
. The species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific
region from east Africa
in the west to Hawaii
in the east, extending north to Japan
and south to Australia
. The yellowtail scad is the only member of the monotypic
genus Atule and is distinguished from similar species by a well-developed adipose eyelid and finlet-like extensions of the last rays of the dorsal
and anal fins. It inhabits coastal areas such as bay
s and coral reef
s, preying on small fishes and crustacean
s. Spawning
has been well studied in Hawaii, where fish enter bays to spawn, releasing up to 161,000 eggs each between March and October. The yellowtail scad is an important component of fisheries throughout its range, taken by a number of netting and hook and line methods. It is a prized food fish in some regions and is cooked or preserved by a variety of methods.
genus Atule, one of thirty genera in the jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae
. The Carangidae are Perciform fish in the suborder Percoidei
.
The yellowtail scad was first scientifically described by the French
naturalist
Georges Cuvier
in 1833 based on a specimen taken from the Seychelles
, which was designated to be the holotype
. He named the species Caranx mate, thereby placing the species in a genus with a number of larger, deeper bodied jacks. The species was subsequently redescribed and named many times, with most authors placing these "species" in other jack genera including Caranx
, Decapterus
and Selar. In 1906, Jordan
and Seale produced one such name in the form of Decapterus lundini. Jordan later re-examined this taxon
and decided it warranted its own, separate genus and thus created Atule, making Decapterus lundini the type species
of the genus. With the taxonomic history of the species confused with numerous synonyms, it was not until 1953 that Herre concluded that D. lundini was a junior synonym of Cuvier's C. mate, thus giving the latter priority and creating the currently accepted name of Atule mate.
The wide distribution of the species has led to many common names being applied to the species. In English
, the most common name is yellowtail scad or some variation of this. Occasionally this combination will be proceeded by a variety of words including "barred" and "northern". Other names applied include one-finlet scad, deep trevally, the broad name of horse mackerel as well as the Hawaiian 'Omaka'.
, having a moderately compressed, oval shaped body.
The dorsal and ventral profiles of the fish are nearly evenly convex, with the two lines intersecting at the pointed snout
. There are two separate dorsal fin
s; the first consisting of 8 moderately high spines and the second of a single spine followed by 22 to 25 soft rays. The anal fin consists of two anteriorally detached spines followed by a single spine attached to 18 to 21 soft rays. The terminal soft rays of both the anal and dorsal fins are nearly twice as long as the penultimate rays, forming distinctive finlet-like structures, although are still attached to the main fin structure by interradial membranes. The lateral line
is slightly arched anteriorally, with the intersection of the curved and straight section occurring below the sixth to eighth dorsal soft ray. The curved section contains between 39 and 57 scale
s, while the straight section has 0 to 10 scales and 36 to 49 scute
s. Another of the major distinguishing features of the species is an adipose eyelid which fully encloses the eye except for a small vertical slit over the pupil
. This feature is only observable in individuals greater than 10 cm, as juveniles below this length are still developing the eyelid. Both jaw
s have a single row of small teeth, although 2 to 3 rows of small canine teeth are present in older individuals. There are 37 to 44 gill raker
s in total and 24 vertebrae. The yellowtail scad is a small species in comparison with many of the other fishes within the Carangidae, reaching a recorded maximum length of only 30 cm, although is more often encountered around 20 cm.
The yellowtail scad is a bright olive green above, transitioning to a more golden green ventrally, before becoming silvery white on the underside of the fish. There are 9 to 16 faint grey bars running vertically on the sides of the fish as well as a black spot slightly smaller than the eye on the upper margin of operculum
and adjacent shoulder region. The caudal and dorsal fins are a characteristic greenish yellow colour, the pelvic fins are white while the rest of the fins are hyaline.
region. In the Indian Ocean
, the species is known from as far south as South Africa
, distributed north along the east African coast including Madagascar
, and further north to the Persian Gulf
, Red Sea
, India
, Sri Lanka
and South East Asia. In the Pacific, the species is most prevalent in South East Asia, Indonesia
, Philippines
, extending southward to northern Australia
, north to Japan
where only three specimens have been recorded, and as far east as Hawaii
.
The species is predominantly coastal, schooling in inshore waters to a depth of 80 m, often in large embayments with mangrove
s or over coral reef
s. Like a number of carangids, juvenile yellowtail scad are known to congregate around floating objects including jellyfish
medusae as well as man made structures. In Kaneohe Bay, jellyfish medusae disappeared from the bay, causing the fish to switch from natural objects to man made ones, causing concern for recruitment of the species in the future.
and fish. The species exhibits two different feeding patterns during different different stages of life, with the juveniles between 91 and 150 mm feeding mainly on crustacean
s while adults over 151 mm prey almost exclusively on small fish.
The size at sexual maturity is not known confidently but has been estimated at between 150 to 160 mm. In Hawaii, the species has been observed to spawn
in open areas of bays at least 10 m deep mostly between March and October, but there is significant yearly differences in the length of the season. In the breeding stock, more than two-thirds are male
and all female
s in the bay during daytime actively spawn, with nearly all spawning occurring in the morning. Females release 63,000 to 161,000 eggs per batch. Egg and larvae development have been extensively studied and described by Miller and Sumida.
has catch data from Saudi Arabia
showing 933 tonnes of the species was taken in 2001; an increase from 2000's catch of 875 tonnes. In Malaysia and presumably other South East Asian countries, the species makes up a high percentage of the pelagic catch. The fishery appears to be seasonal in some areas, with demersal species such as serranids
and lutjanids making up the bulk of the catch most of the year while pelagics such as A. mate and scombrids make up the bulk of the catch between January and April. In other areas such as the Gulf of Thailand
, it is taken year round. The species is taken by a variety of fishing methods including beach seines, gill netting, as well as hook and line methods involving jigging with lures. In parts of South East Asia, the yellowtail scad is a highly valued seafood
prepared by boiling, steaming and frying. It may also by dried and salted to preserve the flesh.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small inshore marine
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
of the jack family, Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region from east Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
in the west to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in the east, extending north to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and south to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The yellowtail scad is the only member of the monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus Atule and is distinguished from similar species by a well-developed adipose eyelid and finlet-like extensions of the last rays of the dorsal
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and anal fins. It inhabits coastal areas such as bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
s and coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s, preying on small fishes and crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s. Spawning
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
has been well studied in Hawaii, where fish enter bays to spawn, releasing up to 161,000 eggs each between March and October. The yellowtail scad is an important component of fisheries throughout its range, taken by a number of netting and hook and line methods. It is a prized food fish in some regions and is cooked or preserved by a variety of methods.
Taxonomy and naming
The yellowtail scad is the only member of the monotypicMonotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus Atule, one of thirty genera in the jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The Carangidae are Perciform fish in the suborder Percoidei
Percoidei
Percoidei is one of eighteen suborders of bony fish in the order Perciformes. Many commercially harvested fish species are contained in this suborder, including the snappers, jacks, whitings, groupers, bass, perches and porgies.-Divisions:...
.
The yellowtail scad was first scientifically described by the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
Georges Cuvier
Georges Cuvier
Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
in 1833 based on a specimen taken from the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
, which was designated to be the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
. He named the species Caranx mate, thereby placing the species in a genus with a number of larger, deeper bodied jacks. The species was subsequently redescribed and named many times, with most authors placing these "species" in other jack genera including Caranx
Caranx
Caranx is a genus of tropical to subtropical marine fish in the jack family Carangidae, commonly known as jacks, trevallies and kingfishes. They are moderate to large sized, deep bodied fishes which are distinguished from other carangid genera by specific gill raker, fin ray and dentition...
, Decapterus
Decapterus
Decapterus is a genus of marine fishes in the family in the jack family, Carangidae. They are commonly known as mackerel scads, and round scads. They are found throughout the world....
and Selar. In 1906, Jordan
David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
and Seale produced one such name in the form of Decapterus lundini. Jordan later re-examined this taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
and decided it warranted its own, separate genus and thus created Atule, making Decapterus lundini the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of the genus. With the taxonomic history of the species confused with numerous synonyms, it was not until 1953 that Herre concluded that D. lundini was a junior synonym of Cuvier's C. mate, thus giving the latter priority and creating the currently accepted name of Atule mate.
The wide distribution of the species has led to many common names being applied to the species. In English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, the most common name is yellowtail scad or some variation of this. Occasionally this combination will be proceeded by a variety of words including "barred" and "northern". Other names applied include one-finlet scad, deep trevally, the broad name of horse mackerel as well as the Hawaiian 'Omaka'.
Description
The yellowtail scad has a body profile quite similar to that of the other fish often called 'scad' from the genera Decapterus and TrachurusTrachurus
Jack mackerels are marine fishes in the Trachurus genus of the Carangidae family. The type species of the genus is the Atlantic horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek word trachys, meaning "rough", and the Greek word oura, meaning "tail"...
, having a moderately compressed, oval shaped body.
The dorsal and ventral profiles of the fish are nearly evenly convex, with the two lines intersecting at the pointed snout
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
. There are two separate dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
s; the first consisting of 8 moderately high spines and the second of a single spine followed by 22 to 25 soft rays. The anal fin consists of two anteriorally detached spines followed by a single spine attached to 18 to 21 soft rays. The terminal soft rays of both the anal and dorsal fins are nearly twice as long as the penultimate rays, forming distinctive finlet-like structures, although are still attached to the main fin structure by interradial membranes. The lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
is slightly arched anteriorally, with the intersection of the curved and straight section occurring below the sixth to eighth dorsal soft ray. The curved section contains between 39 and 57 scale
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
s, while the straight section has 0 to 10 scales and 36 to 49 scute
Scute
A scute or scutum is a bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, the feet of some birds or the anterior portion of the mesonotum in insects.-Properties:...
s. Another of the major distinguishing features of the species is an adipose eyelid which fully encloses the eye except for a small vertical slit over the pupil
Pupil
The pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the retina. It appears black because most of the light entering the pupil is absorbed by the tissues inside the eye. In humans the pupil is round, but other species, such as some cats, have slit pupils. In...
. This feature is only observable in individuals greater than 10 cm, as juveniles below this length are still developing the eyelid. Both jaw
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
s have a single row of small teeth, although 2 to 3 rows of small canine teeth are present in older individuals. There are 37 to 44 gill raker
Gill raker
Gill rakers in fish are bony or cartilaginous processes that project from the branchial arch and are involved with filter feeding tiny prey. They are not to be confused with the gill filaments that compose the bony part of the gill. Rakers are usually present in two rows, projecting from both the...
s in total and 24 vertebrae. The yellowtail scad is a small species in comparison with many of the other fishes within the Carangidae, reaching a recorded maximum length of only 30 cm, although is more often encountered around 20 cm.
The yellowtail scad is a bright olive green above, transitioning to a more golden green ventrally, before becoming silvery white on the underside of the fish. There are 9 to 16 faint grey bars running vertically on the sides of the fish as well as a black spot slightly smaller than the eye on the upper margin of operculum
Operculum (fish)
The operculum of a bony fish is the hard bony flap covering and protecting the gills. In most fish, the rear edge of the operculum roughly marks the division between the head and the body....
and adjacent shoulder region. The caudal and dorsal fins are a characteristic greenish yellow colour, the pelvic fins are white while the rest of the fins are hyaline.
Distribution and habitat
The yellowtail scad is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indo-PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region. In the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, the species is known from as far south as South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, distributed north along the east African coast including Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, and further north to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and South East Asia. In the Pacific, the species is most prevalent in South East Asia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, extending southward to northern Australia
Northern Australia
The term northern Australia is generally known to include two State and Territories, being Queensland and the Northern Territory . The part of Western Australia north of latitude 26° south—a definition widely used in law and State government policy—is also usually included...
, north to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where only three specimens have been recorded, and as far east as Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The species is predominantly coastal, schooling in inshore waters to a depth of 80 m, often in large embayments with mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s or over coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s. Like a number of carangids, juvenile yellowtail scad are known to congregate around floating objects including jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
medusae as well as man made structures. In Kaneohe Bay, jellyfish medusae disappeared from the bay, causing the fish to switch from natural objects to man made ones, causing concern for recruitment of the species in the future.
Biology
The yellowtail scad is a pelagic predator that takes a variety of small planktonPlankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
and fish. The species exhibits two different feeding patterns during different different stages of life, with the juveniles between 91 and 150 mm feeding mainly on crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s while adults over 151 mm prey almost exclusively on small fish.
The size at sexual maturity is not known confidently but has been estimated at between 150 to 160 mm. In Hawaii, the species has been observed to spawn
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
in open areas of bays at least 10 m deep mostly between March and October, but there is significant yearly differences in the length of the season. In the breeding stock, more than two-thirds are male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
and all female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
s in the bay during daytime actively spawn, with nearly all spawning occurring in the morning. Females release 63,000 to 161,000 eggs per batch. Egg and larvae development have been extensively studied and described by Miller and Sumida.
Relationship to humans
Yellowtail scad are a major species targeted by fisheries throughout the species range. Worldwide catch data are not available, although the FAOFão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
has catch data from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
showing 933 tonnes of the species was taken in 2001; an increase from 2000's catch of 875 tonnes. In Malaysia and presumably other South East Asian countries, the species makes up a high percentage of the pelagic catch. The fishery appears to be seasonal in some areas, with demersal species such as serranids
Serranidae
Serranidae is a large family of fishes, belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species of serranids in 64 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers...
and lutjanids making up the bulk of the catch most of the year while pelagics such as A. mate and scombrids make up the bulk of the catch between January and April. In other areas such as the Gulf of Thailand
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand , also known in to Malays as Teluk Siam literally meant Gulf of Siam, is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.-Geography:...
, it is taken year round. The species is taken by a variety of fishing methods including beach seines, gill netting, as well as hook and line methods involving jigging with lures. In parts of South East Asia, the yellowtail scad is a highly valued seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
prepared by boiling, steaming and frying. It may also by dried and salted to preserve the flesh.