Yellowtail amberjack

Yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, rocky, at depths of 0–300 m.

Scientific name: Seriola lalandi · Water: Saltwater, Brackish

Size: up to 180 cm

About

The yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi) is a large carangid described by Achille Valenciennes in 1833, and it is the fish American west-coast anglers know as the yellowtail — recent genetic work restricts S. lalandi proper to the Southern Hemisphere, while the northeastern Pacific population is treated by several authorities as the separate species Seriola dorsalis. It is a fast, highly mobile pelagic predator of rocky reefs, offshore islands and adjacent sand, hunting from the surface down to about 50 m and occasionally being taken from water over 300 m deep, with juveniles drifting far offshore with floating weed and debris. In the United States the fishery centres on southern California, where fish are caught around kelp beds, rocky pinnacles and offshore islands from boats and, less often, from piers and shore on live bait, yo-yo and surface iron, and by trolling; other English names in use include yellowtail kingfish, hiramasa and great amberjack. No specific fishing season is documented for the US stock in the sources used here.

Ecology and habitat

Water layer
Near-bottom / mid-lower
Bottom / habitat
Reef, Rocky
Depth
0–300 m
Distribution status
Native
Trophic level
4.2
Maximum age
12 years

Fishery and market

Game fish
Yes
Market price
Low
Resilience
Low

Angling traits

Methods

Sources

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