Mackerel:professional buying guide, season, size grades, line or trawl

01

Buying sheet

National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another. Size grades: Regulation (EC) No 2406/96, Annex II. Minimum size: Regulation (EU) 2019/1241. Tonnage and shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer, report published on 6 June 2025).

02

When to buy mackerel?

In 2024, auction sales reached about 700 tonnes in May, then 750 tonnes in September and in October, against less than 350 tonnes in January, April and December. The price does the opposite: at its lowest in September, it almost doubled in December. For a menu, late summer and autumn combine plenty and a good price.

03

Line or trawl: what difference?

Line-caught mackerel (maquereau de ligne) is caught one fish at a time by small inshore boats, landed the same day and handled with care: intact skin, firm belly. It is the product for tartares and marinades. Trawl-caught mackerel arrives in volume, often mixed in size and sometimes marked by the pressure in the cod end of the trawl. The mention of the gear ("hooks and lines", "trawls") is mandatory on the label.

04

How to judge the freshness of a mackerel?

Bright blue-green skin, sharp black stripes, iridescent glints; bulging, clear eye; bright red gills; stiff, almost brittle body; firm belly, never burst. Strong smell or soft belly: refuse the lot.

05

Which pitfalls to avoid?

• Histamine. Mackerel is one of the species rich in histidine: poorly chilled, it produces histamine, which causes poisoning and does not disappear with cooking. The EU regulation sets limits for these species. Check the temperature on delivery.
• Raw and marinated. A fish served raw, marinated or lightly cooked must have been frozen (at least 24 hours at -20 °C) against the risk of anisakis, except for the exemptions provided by the regulation. Mackerel, often served marinated, is concerned, even though it is less often infested than hake or whiting according to the French surveys cited by ANSES.
• Mixed sizes. For regular fillets, ask for a graded lot.

06

What to replace mackerel with?

07

What makes the price of mackerel move?

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026). The workbook groups Atlantic mackerel and Atlantic chub mackerel together. Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of mackerel volumes. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

At the September and October 2024 peak, about 750 t sold a month, the average price fell below €2/kg; in December, with 323 t, it reached its highest of the year. May is the exception: with 707 t, it sold at around €2.60/kg, above the average. In 2025 too, November and December were the two most expensive months. Between the large auctions, the spread stays small; at small Breton auctions such as Lorient or Brest, the average price approaches €4/kg, on very small volumes, without the workbook saying whether line fishing or size explains it.

• The season: low price at the autumn peak (under €2/kg from August to October in 2024), high in December.
• The gear: line sells above trawl.
• The size: large mackerel, scarcer, sell for more per kilo.
• Boulogne-sur-Mer: with more than half of national auction sales, the trips of the Boulogne fleet set the market.