Have to say I agree with all said.
Mackerel were the first fish I caught as a young fella back home on the west coast of Ireland. A group of us used to down to the pier to do a spot of mackerel fishing on most summer evening - a good healthy activity. Most evening we would catch absolutly nothing, but we enjoyed it all the same. Other nights the water would just boil below our feet and you couldn't miss. We had smaller rods and 5lb line then and those fish put up a great fight. Great fun. Great memories.
Recently I paid another vist to the same pier on a fine summers evening. And a shoal was in providing plenty of sport. I walked down to the pier hoping to relive those fond memories of my youth, but when I got to the end things weren't as I would have remembered.
It was an ugly sight. Fish were being taken from the water for the pure greed of it. I had about 10 casts and I had enough for my family for the weekend, and enough bait for a couple of trips, so I stopped. There were others there who were bordering on the insane. One guy using feathers was pulling out 5 at a time and dropping his catch at his feet. I asked if he was going to eat all of those fish. He said no and that others would pick them up he was sure. Some of the pier walkers did indeed help themselves, but he was still pulling them in 5 at a time.
There were kids there too fishing I was glad to see initially. But they too quickly showed an ugly side. One young fella began to swing his catch around his head and let it go towards his mates to howles of laughter. Then on one of his swings he wrapped his catch, line and hooks around the head of one of his friends. I roared at his to stop and I lost my temper a little bit, for he nearly took the guys eyes out. Things calmed down after that as I watch the sun set over the bay.
Mackerel are a great fish. For sport, bait and to eat we're very lucky to have them around. Lets not abuse them.