Skipper, Saury, Needlefish

Family Scomberesocidae

• Portuguese: Agulhão
• Spanish: Paparda
• French: Balaou, Aiguille de mer
• Dutch: Makreelgeep
• German: Makrelenhecht
• Swedish: Makrillgädda
• Norwegian: Makrellgjedde
• Danish: Makrelgedde
• Icelandic: Geirnefur

REMARKS Maximum length 45 cm. A silver band running from the eye to near the tail separates the darker (olive-green or blue) back from the golden or silvery underside. Note the presence of finlets near the tail; that the lateral line is the one shown very low on the body; and that the lower jaw projects slightly beyond the upper one, although not at all stages of growth. The home waters of this species are in the ocean, around the latitude of Madeira, but they migrate northwards in the summer, as far as Norway, Iceland and Newfoundland.