The Indian mackerel, Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1817) is a small coastal pelagic scombroid fish frequently found in schools in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region pelagic scombroid fish frequently found in schools in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region (Collette and Nauen 1983). The stock structure of Indian mackerel (local name: alumahan) in the Philippines is unknown. This profile covers the Indian mackerel fishery in the Philippines Fishery Management Area 4 (FMA - 4), off southern Panay and Negros islands east of Sulu Sea, and the south Sulu Sea to include several bays in the Zamboanga Peninsula, and the Basilan Strait, Moro Gulf,  and Tawi-tawi Bay in BARMM  (see FMA 4 Map and Profile).  FMAs were established in January 2019 (Fisheries Administrative Order 263) to focus on the ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

Indian mackerel occurs the two other Rastrelliger species, i.e., the short mackerel R. brachysoma and the island mackerel R. faughni. The official catch records of Indian mackerel (Alumahan)  by the Philippine Statistics Authority or PSA (see OpenSTAT) may be a combined reported landings of all three Rastreliiger spp.  In NSAP’s The Philippine Capture Fisheries Atlas species-specific data may be presented separately in areas where stock assessments occur (e.g., length frequency measurements, E values; in  (Barut et al. 2017) and catch landing data of Rastrelliger species, however, are combined with other species under the “small pelagics” group (Santos et al. 2017).