The black-spotted fish, which is round in shape, has been named 'Scomber indicus' by a team of CMFRI scientists led by E M Abdussamad, after their study showed that the new species is distinctly different, both taxonomically and genetically, from the other members of the mackerel family.
The fish is called 'pulli ayala' or 'pulli thiriyan' by the local fishermen.
The meat texture of the fish is soft and tastes similar to Indian mackerel, according to the fishers, a CMFRI release said here.
"The species would become a potential resource to form a commercial fishery," he added.
While a catch of 10 tonnes of the Indian chub mackerel was recorded in the state in 2015, around 25 tonnes of the species was caught from Kerala coasts this year itself, showing the growth of the fish in the state, Gopalakrishnan added.
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