The true stars of spring are lurking beneath the waves. For it is the mackerel that can feasibly lay claim to being not only one of the most underrated fish, but the true harbinger of the changing of the seasons.

Snatches of conversation in tackle shops across the length and breadth of the UK hint at the excitement of their return. For mackerel not only make excellent eating and great bait, but their return signals that other prize fish such as bass and bream are also heading back for the summer.

But there is more to mackerel than just a hearty supper. These are fabulous fish.

Take a long look at their torpedo-shaped bodies next time you are in the fishmonger’s — their backs are graffiti-tagged with iridescent turquoise and black scribbles, their undersides flaring silver and blue in the light. Mackerel are a fast-swimming fish related to tuna. Big specimens reach up to 70 centimetres and live for 20 years. Like herring, they gather in dense shoals many thousands strong. Members of a school are usually of the same size and age.

These schools are constantly moving, usually in the upper water layers, but deeper in winter. Amazingly, mackerel do not feed at all during the winter months.

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of ravenous mackerel head back to the shallows to spawn and then gorge themselves in the warm water now bursting with plankton and other fish. There is another reason to love mackerel — you can eat them with a clear conscience. For more information visit www.mcsuk.org