Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Greater Amberjack is a large reef fish familiar to anglers off the southeastern United States. A dark stripe runs from its eye toward its back, especially when it is excited or feeding.

Appearance

Appearance: It has a bluish gray back, silver belly, and amber stripe along the side. Young fish show several dark bars.

Look-alikes

Almaco jackSeriola rivoliana

The almaco jack has a deeper, more flattened body and taller front portions of the dorsal and anal fins. Greater amberjack is slimmer with a shorter front dorsal fin.

Why they get mixed upBoth are large offshore amberjacks.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Atlantic and Gulf reefs
Rocky outcrops and wrecks
Range: In the western Atlantic, it ranges from eastern Canada to Brazil, including U.S. Atlantic and Gulf waters.
Preferred conditions: Adults commonly gather around reefs and wrecks about 60–240 ft (18–73 m) deep.

Behavior

Diet: Adults eat fish, crabs, and squid around reefs.
Social life: Young fish school under floating Sargassum; large adults gather less often.

Life cycle

Breeding season: In the southeastern U.S., spawning occurs mainly from March through June.
Lifespan: It can live up to about 17 years.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Status: Greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico are overfished; those in the South Atlantic are not.

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