Differences Between Chub Mackerel and Pacific Saury: Main Points to Look At

Both chub mackerel and Pacific saury are fish that live in the sea, and many people assume they are the same, but in fact the two are different. So, what are the differences between chub mackerel and Pacific saury?

Difference one, different family and genus: chub mackerel is a fish of the order Perciformes, family Scombridae, genus Scomber. The Pacific saury is a fish of the order Beloniformes, family Scomberesocidae, genus Cololabis, and gets its name because its body is slender like a knife and its fishing season is in autumn.

Difference two, different body shape: the chub mackerel has a stout, slightly flattened body in a spindle shape; the Pacific saury has a slender, elongated body in a rod shape.

Difference three, different body color: the back of the chub mackerel is blue-black or dark blue, its sides have irregular dark blue worm-eaten markings, its belly is white with a slight yellow tinge, its pectoral fins are light black, its anal fin is light pink, and its other fins are pale yellow. The back of the Pacific saury is dark blue, its belly is silver-gray, there is a silver-blue longitudinal band down the center of its side, its pectoral fins are light gray, its anal and pelvic fins are white, and its dorsal fin, finlets and caudal fin are grayish brown.

Difference four, different teeth: the chub mackerel has a large mouth, upper and lower jaws of equal length, each with a row of fine teeth, and teeth on the vomer and pterygoid bones; the Pacific saury has a lower jaw slightly longer than the upper jaw, its two jaws have fine, weak teeth arranged in a single row, and there are no teeth on the vomer, palatine bones or tongue.

Difference five, different dorsal fins: the chub mackerel has 2 dorsal fins set relatively far apart, the first dorsal fin has 9 to 10 spines, the second dorsal fin is opposite the anal fin, and behind these there are 5 small finlets above and below; the Pacific saury has 1 dorsal fin, with 5-6 small finlets above and below behind it.

Difference six, different distribution: the chub mackerel is distributed in the western North Pacific, in China, Korea, Japan and the Russian Far East, reaching as far north as the Sea of Okhotsk. The Pacific saury is mainly distributed in the temperate waters of the northern Pacific, including the Sea of Japan, Alaska, the Bering Sea, California, Mexico and other sea areas.