Horse Mackerel

"I caught a horse mackerel! Nay!? Yay!" —Wild World

"I caught a horse mackerel! But it sounds fine to me!" —City Folk

"I caught a horse mackerel! Holy mackerel!" —New Leaf

"I caught a horse mackerel! Of course, Mack...er...el." —New Horizons

Horse Mackerel
Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Jurel  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown
Scientific name	Trachurus japonicus
Family	Carangidae - The jacks and pompanos
Time of year	All year
Time of day	All day
Location	Ocean
Size	35 cm
Shadow size	Small
Rarity	Very Common
Selling price	120 Bells (Animal Forest e+, PAL Wild World) 150 Bells (Wild World, City Folk, New Leaf, amiibo Festival, New Horizons)
Main Appearances	DnM AC DnMe+ WW CF NL NH
Other Appearances	PC

One of the cheapest fish in the games, the Horse Mackerel (アジ, Aji) is a common fish that can be found in the ocean. It can be caught at any given time, month, or season. When this fish is given to Wendell the walrus in City Folk, the player is rewarded with a Horizontal Track pattern.

Donating to the Museum

Wendel gives the player a Horizontal Track Pattern if given a horse mackerel.

In Wild World

Blathers will say this when handed the fish:

"How do you like to eat your fried horse mackerel? With tartar sauce? Vinegar? ...Ah! Cocktail sauce?! Hoo, I see. Fascinating."

In City Folk

Blathers will say this when handed the fish:

"Horse mackerel are not at all related to horses... Rather obvious, I should think... It's quite a strange name, given how many fish are related to this one, like yellowtail and amberjack."

In New Leaf

The plaque by the tank in which the fish is housed says the following:

"With their appealing flavor, horse mackerel have long been a cheap and common food source. However, in certain regions, they have actually been branded as something of a luxury dish. They have tough scales on both sides of their bodies that must be removed before preparing. Though small, they are formidable carnivores. Since they go after bait, they are popular with fishers."

In New Horizons

When donating the Horse Mackerel to the museum, Blathers says this:

"Supposedly the horse mackerel derives its name from a-false-myth about its strengh as a swimmer. The gist of it is that these fish are so powerful underwater that smaller fish can ride them as steeds! It's absurd, of course. Where would these alleged fish jockeys attach a saddle, much less horseshoes? One does wish that people would construct their legends with a BIT more scientific plausibility!"

Fishing Tournament

New Leaf

Chip will say this when given a horse mackerel:

"Horse mackerel, man, those guys are tasty with a capital MMMM. So I'm just gonna scarf this one down. Totally raw, of course!"

Encyclopedia information

Wild World

''They have hard scales called "scutes."" Size- 39.6 cm Habitat- Ocean Season- All year

City Folk

''They have hard scales called "scutes."" Size- 40 cm Habitat- Ocean Season- All year

Pocket Camp

Caught in Saltwater Shores. Selling Price- 10 Rarity- ★ Smallest- 33.4 cm Largest- 46.5 cm

Further information

The Japanese jack mackerel has a depth range of 0 – 275 m, but usually 50 – 275 m. It is tropical. It is an important fish in the fishing trade and can be found in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It is vulnerable.

Gallery

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  Horse Mackerel icon in Doubutsu no Mori e+.

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  Horse Mackerel icon in Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Spanish	Jurel
French	Chinchard
Dutch	Horsmakreel	Horse mackerel
Italian	Sgombro	Horse mackerel