Habitat & Distribution

An oceanic, pelagic, highly migratory species found in subtropical and temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In British waters they are found off the Scottish coast and the southern and south-western coasts of England. They also occur off the west coast of Ireland. Generally they are a pelagic species which seasonally come close to shore where they may be caught in trawls, nets and by anglers. In northern waters it is mainly a summertime visitor appearing in July-August and is rarely captured later than September. Most of the Cornish records, however, have been in November and occasionally fish of over 450kg are landed. This species may live for up to 30 years or more, however it is becoming rarer because of the heavy fishing pressure being put upon this desirable species in places such as the Mediterranean and elsewhere. It is on the IUCN Red List, albeit as data deficient and has recently been placed on the UK List of Priority Species.