Port Mackerel

"Callie: Holy mackerel! Marie: Sigh..."

- Squid Sisters

Port Mackerel is a multiplayer stage in Splatoon. This stage was not available at the launch of Splatoon, but was released on June 2nd 2015 at. It made its first appearance in the stage rotation immediately after the update.

Layout
Port Mackerel is a shipping yard and, as such, there are numerous containers littering the field, making for several narrow paths in a grid shape. In the middle is another gridded area and on either side of it is an open area and inkable forklifts that ride back and forth across all three lanes. There also exist two upper paths from either spawn point that run around the perimeter of the map, ending in the middle area. It includes many corridors, such as ones around large, colored boxes and crates.

Notable Locations

 * Open Battlefields – This is where most of the combat takes place. Both open battlefields are separated from each other by another set of cargo containers. These battlefields, while being very open for vision, are still difficult to maneuver around for the beginning player because of the mats and a couple bumps. It is advised to climb on one of the cargo vehicles and jump on a matted storage crate from there, as it is higher ground, and you cannot be trapped by enemy ink. However, you cannot hide in your own ink, as the mat prevents ink placement.
 * Side Passages – There are four Side Passages in this stage, two on the player's side, and two on the enemy side. They are all accessed on the left or right sides of the map and lead to small openings on the side of the 'Open Battlefields. The Side Passages are often forgotten parts of the map, particularly because they're mostly out of the action and they're only accessible from the area near the spawn points.

Splat Zones
In Splat Zones there are two zones located on one side of the two open areas of the map. The only known change from the Turf War iteration is the fact that the forklifts that move back and forth between the shipping containers are absent.

In Splat Zones, it is always a good idea to check on the zone closest to your spawn regularly. If an enemy sneaks past and gains control of it, it will be all the more difficult getting it back. The side passage located at the spawn is great for chargers and any weapon that can place beacons as the high ground is very safe on Port Mackerel. Another good idea for chargers is to watch the corridors made by the containers as its narrow shape can be used to easily splat enemies going down those paths.

Tower Control
The tower starts in the center of the map and moves along the rail, passing through the Open Battlefields and weaving in between boxes, until it reaches the top of the box directly in front of the opponent's spawn.

Two inkable boxes have been added to the right side of the Open Battlefields, allowing players to access the Side Passages from this area.

Rainmaker
The Rainmaker is located at the middle of the map. The Rainmaker must be taken to a pillar located on top of the cargo container in front of the rival Respawn Point. A couple platforms are supplied to make reaching higher ground easier, the pillar can only be access by either climbing the newly placed board on the backside of the container or jumping from the high ground.

Tips

 * Due to the numerous narrow alleys, Rollers, Chargers, Seekers, and Killer Wails are great options on this level.
 * Low spread Shooters (Such as the Splash-o-matic, or the Dual Squelcher) are also decent options in the narrow passageways.
 * While there isn't much in the way of accessible high ground, the forklifts are an option and getting on shipping containers is possible from the right locations, though they are all covered in plastic on top and cannot be inked.
 * There is a huge area all the way around the spawn point so make sure to ink that too.
 * Due to the narrow lanes and obstructed views, it's easy to bypass enemies completely without either knowing. Use the gamepad to keep tabs on where ink is being sprayed or make use of Echolocators.

Trivia

 * The map's name is a reference to the real-life Mackerel.
 * Port Mackerel was the first DLC map to be released.