Yellowtail amberjack

Status

The yellowtail was more common in waters around California and Mexico, but has recently been overfished by Japanese commercial fishing ships. Overfishing is becoming more of a problem as fishers move away from areas in which this fish has become scarce to United States' waters in search of more. Yellowtail spawn in warm waters 100–300 miles off the California coast and return in May or June until September or December. They spawn slowly, but may live in excess of 30 years. Spawning usually begins at three years of age. One major spawning ground is at Cedros Island, where mass amounts of 15- to 20-pound yellowtail can be caught. Yellowtail are aggressive towards other fish. They will often feed more frequently during spawning, which makes them an easy target for commercial fishing boats. They are currently not on the endangered list.

Habitat

The yellowtail's range is circumglobal, in subtropical waters. It can be found near Catalina Island, San Clemente Island, and Santa Monica Bay, as well as in Mexican waters such as Baja California Peninsula and Sea of Cortes, congregating at certain areas in mass numbers like Cedros Island and Benitos Island. During the summer the can also be found on floating kelp patties of the coast of southern California and Baja California. Yellowtail populations have also been found in waters off South Africa, the Walter Shoals, Amsterdam Island, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaii, Rapa, Pitcairn Island, and Easter Island. In the Eastern Pacific, they can be found in waters off British Columbia, as well as from Canada to Chile. They are usually found around offshore islands, rocky reefs, and kelp beds.

Food

The California yellowtail is carnivorous and feeds on a variety of fish. Mackerel, sardines, anchovies, squid, crab, and smelts are common in the yellowtail's diet. Often, California yellowtail are found in schools feeding at the surface of the water, as well as deeper. This species prefers water temperatures of 21–22 °C , though have also been found in waters between 18 and 24 °C . Temperatures cooler than 18°C would make the yellowtail sink into deeper waters to conserve energy.

Cultural

''Seriola lalandi'' has been established as a suitable candidate for marine aquaculture. In contrast to the culture of ''S. quinqueradiata'' , juveniles of ''S. lalandi'' are not easily available from the wild, and juveniles are produced in hatcheries from captive breeding stock. The Stehr Group in South Australia is presently the largest producer of cultured ''S. lalandi'' in the world. Some attempts have been made to culture the species in New Zealand, both in seacages and a large land-based system at Parengarenga . Chile is currently trialling seacage and land-based farming methods. Most cultured ''S. lalandi'' is sold to the Japanese restaurant market for consumption as sashimi.