Separation of stocks of king mackerel Scomberomorus cavalla (Cuvier)

Meristic and morphometric characteristics as well as isoelectric focusing and two-dimensional electrophoretic protein banding patterns of Scomberomorus cavalla were investigated in an attempt to find a technique to adequately identify Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico migratory groups, respectively, in the southeast Florida mixing zone. Data were collected from king mackerel from three locations: Riviera Beach, Palm Beach County; St. Petersburg, Pinellas County; and Panama City, Bay County; Florida. Morphometric and electrophoretic differences in samples from St. Petersburg, may indicate that the fish collected in this region constitute a separate stock. Nevertheless none of these techniques was conclusive enough to be adequate in separating these fish stocks for management purposes.