Terry Lacoss

Surveys show that fast striking mackerel are the most sought after saltwater game fish, particularly when targeted by family fishing parties, charter fishing boats and saltwater fishing tournaments. There are also more king mackerel fishing tournaments than any other type of saltwater competition throughout the coastal and offshore range of the king mackerel.

The proper name for king mackerel is Scomberomorus, derived from the Latin word "scomber" = mackerel and the Greek word "moros" = silly, stupid.

However, king mackerel didn't used to be as popular as they are today. South Florida sailfishing parties would often frown when a speedy king mackerel targeted their spread of sailfish lures often destroying expensive live baits or cutting a plastic lures literally into shreds with their razor sharp teeth. In those early days of sailfishing, including the late 1980s, the majority of sailfish tackle was west of 30 pound test. Fishing reel drag systems were often set to boat their catch in a very short length of time. Dead sailfish were showcased at the marina on display for visitors so that charter boats could have a better chance in booking paying customers.

Obviously a ten pound kingfish could not offer much resistance when hooked on 50-pound fishing tackle. Especially when the drag was set to reel in a 50 pound sailfish, in short time. After all, back in those days, sailfish were often mounted, bringing big money to the charter fishing industry.

However during the early 1980s commercial fishing boats had a tremendous interest in the king mackerel fishery. More so than sail fishing boats. Commercial roller net boats targeted the Gulf Stock of kingfish and nearly wiped out the entire stock of king mackerel. Prior to the 1980s, king and Spanish mackerel catches went unregulated. Commercial kingfish boats would use airplane reconnaissance and large power-assisted gill net vessels to harvest large schools of both king and Spanish mackerel, obviously taking advantage of the schooling nature of the two species.

A group of saltwater sports fishermen from the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida areas, headed up by Gene Turner, organized a league of sports fishermen that eventually put an end to the commercial roller net boats.

Outdoor writer for the St. Petersburg Times, Terry Tomalin, wrote about Gene Turner: "West Coast anglers owe this man a debt of gratitude for spending a decade fighting to protect the state's migration schools of king mackerel from large-scale commercial exploitation. Turner, a former boat builder for St. Pete Beach, was a conservationist before conservation was cool. The Old Salt, known locally as "Mr. Kingfish," has taught more than one tournament fisherman how to hook the really big kings, or "smokers," on their spring and fall runs up and down the Sun Coast."

"The day has passed when you could go out and help yourself," Turner once said. "We have to realize that we need to leave some for everybody else. These young ones have got to have something to catch."

Because of efforts from fishermen like Gene Turner, both fishermen and government officials were now aware of the dangers facing kingfish stocks.

King mackerel harvests, particularly on the commercial side, exceeded reproduction rates. In 1983, federal regulations were implemented to control harvests and rebuild dwindling stocks.

Gear regulations included the elimination of drift gill nets in 1990.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council was formed to protect America's fishery from three- to two-hundred miles offshore off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the eastern coastline of Florida. This area is called the Atlantic Migratory Group of king mackerel. Another group of migratory king mackerel was identified as the Gulf Coast stock of kingfish, which now runs to the Miami-Dade/Monroe county line in Florida. King mackerel regulations in the Florida east coast sub zone comply with regulations implemented under the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic and are necessary to protect the Gulf group king mackerel resource.

Recreational fishermen are allowed to keep two king mackerel per day, which must measure at least 24 inches from the fork of the tail while targeting federal waters.

Eventually, saltwater fishermen learned that the speedy king mackerel offers a mighty challenge when targeted with medium light fishing tackle. In fact, skilled fishermen that were in the click found they could even catch much larger king mackerel when downsizing their terminal kingfish tackle. During the early 1980s the popularity of king mackerel fishing began to grow by leaps and bounds. Fishing boats and terminal fishing tackle were now being designed and built strictly to target kingfish!

King mackerel tournaments also became popular during the early 1980s, but unfortunately were mostly unregulated, allowing fishing teams to weigh in their maximum limit of kingfish. For example, if there were six fishermen on the boat and the limit was two kingfish per person, each boat could weigh in up to twelve kingfish, even though only one of the king mackerel might place in the event.

Finally, the Southern Kingfish Association was formed and right away, both tournament fishermen and staff members of the SKA realized that kingfish tournaments could not be run by killing a full limit of kingfish during each day of the event.

Today the Southern Kingfish Association promotes catch and release during practice fishing and, more importantly, allows only one kingfish per team to be weighed in for each day of the event. Kingfish must weigh at least ten pounds to qualify for Divisional Points.

Today stocks of king mackerel have rebounded to almost where they were during the pre-1980s, however experts claim that present stocks have fallen just short of this goal.

Both recreational and competitive king mackerel fishermen are becoming more and more in tune with the importance of protecting present kingfish stocks. Hopefully Gene Turner's words will be remembered for generations to come, "We have to realize that we need to leave some for everybody else. These young ones have got to have something to catch."

Finally fishermen are frowning on others who kill kingfish, bring them back to the dock with no intention of eating them, then try to give them away.

It's a good thing; a lot more fishermen are now realizing that if we wish to enjoy king fishing in our lifetime and for future generations to come, we need to put back more than we take.

Today, king mackerel is recognized as saltwater's most popular gamefish. Finally we are learning how to protect and manage this magnificent game fish!