Mackerel fish, sometimes indicating the fish has vertical stripes similar to a scombroid mackerel: By extension, the term is applied also to other species such as the mackerel tabby cat, and to inanimate objects such as the altocumulus mackerel sky cloud formation. Most mackerel belong to the family Scombridae, which also includes tuna and bonito. Generally mackerel are much smaller and slimmer than tuna, though in other respects they share many common characteristics. Their scales, if present at all, are extremely small. Like tuna and bonito, mackerel are voracious feeders, and are swift and manoeuvrable swimmers, able to streamline themselves by
Okhotsk atka mackerel "hokke" in Japanese, the fish can be fresh, dried, or frozen, and can be served raw, boiled, grilled or fried. Okhotsk atka mackerel The Okhotsk atka mackerel ("Pleurogrammus azonus") commonly known as hokke in Japan, also known as the Arabesque greenling, is a mackerel-like species in the family Hexagrammidae. The primary population of the fish is found off the Sea of Okhotsk. According to legend, it was discovered by Nichiji. "Pleurogrammus azonus" is occasionally considered synonymous with the Atka mackerel, "P. monopterygius" (Nelson 1994). However, it is probably a separate species. This fish was also documented as "Stellistius katsukii" but