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Fish profile · Scombridae
Indian mackerel
Rastrelliger kanagurta
A schooling coastal mackerel and an important food fish in Malaysia. It feeds on plankton and is often sold fresh or preserved.
Last reviewed 13 October 2026 · 6 sources
- Max length
- 35 cm
- IUCN
- LC
- Least Concern
- In Malaysia
- Native
- Family
- Scombridae
- order Perciformes
Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.
How big?
Linear scale · hand 18 cm
Up to 35 cm.
Where in Malaysia
27 open-licence records · GBIF
How to identify
- Streamlined silver body
- Small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins
- Long gill rakers visible when the mouth is opened
Habitat
Coastal pelagic waters, often in large schools near the surface.
- Diet
- Plankton, including small crustaceans.
- Native range
- Tropical Indo-Pacific.
Eating
Sold fresh, frozen, dried, salted and smoked; it is also used in processed fish products.
More photos
Sources
Last reviewed 13 October 2026