The Greater Amberjack Of Sanibel Island, Florida, United States (Seriola Dumerili)
- The Persaud Catalog
- Oct 10
- 6 min read
A photograph of a gorgeous pair of Greater Amberjacks, swimming near the sea floor together. Credit to John Turnbull.
This month’s article series will be discussing the beautiful & tranquil, Sanibel Island. Sanibel Island is an island on the gulf coast of southern Florida. The island is most well known for its sandy beaches, shells, & wildlife reserves.
The primary wildlife reserve on the island, is J.N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The scenery of the island is superb, & adds beautifully to the hiking paths of the island.
The island is extremely close to mainland, being only 1.75 nautical miles (2.013864 miles or 3.241 kilometers) away at its closest point. The western coast of the island is well known to contain whelks, bivalves, sand dollars, & scallops, which attracts many tourists as well as recreational fishermen. Many seashell enthusiasts also enjoy the island for this reason, & can be seen gathering or admiring shells on early mornings.
Additionally, these seashell enthusiasts have an entire museum to look into, as Sanibel island has a museum dedicated to the study of seashells, conchology, & malacology. This museum is known as the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. Off the coast of the island, divers & fishermen alike have something else to look forward to.
In the vast & beautiful rocky reefs of Sanibel Island, lay a fish known as the Greater Amberjack. The Greater Amberjack is an extremely popular finned fish, found all around the world. Specifically around Sanibel Island, the fish is found primarily around rocky outcroppings, caves, & generally deeper waters.
Unfortunately, it is hard to confirm whether or not it is present in certain locations, due to its similar appearance to the species Seriola carpenteri.
The Greater Amberjack is well known amongst both commercial, recreational fishermen for its importance to coastal communities. Its importance largely stems from its high quality & high protein meat.
In this article, we will discuss the discovery & life of the Greater Amberjack, the reproductive strategies of the Greater Amberjack, the distribution of the Greater Amberjack, & the scientific detailings of The Greater Amberjack. With that being said, let us delve into this beautiful fish.
The Discovery & Life Of The Greater Amberjack
The Greater Amberjack was discovered by Giuseppe Antonio Risso, an Italian naturalist, in the year 1810.
This species is able to grow to a maximum of 6 feet (1.8288 meters) long. On average, they will grow to be 40 pounds (18.1437 kilograms), however they may grow much larger, with a maximum of 156 pounds (70.7604 kilograms). There is little to no sexual dimorphism between individuals. Their current life span is 17 years.
Unfortunately, their intellectual capability is unmeasured, & unclear. Though their age as a species is also unclear, we are able to trace their genetic order to the Late Palaeocene, which took place from 59.2 to 56 million years ago.
They are known to be aggressive as juveniles, though they don’t generally interact with humans. If they see a human, they will usually swim away as fast as possible, instead of engaging in a fight. Greater Amberjack have been seen in small schools as juveniles, however they will slowly stop this behaviour as they age. When seen schooling, it will usually be around large mats of Sargassum seagrass.
This species is an astoundingly powerful swimmer, being able to swim at a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour (48.2803 kilometers per hour). Upon examining the fish, it can be seen that the body was designed for this, with a sleek & streamlined appearance. The Greater Amberjack is able to swim by contracting their muscles in a manner that moves them side to side, which then propels the fish forward. Their buoyancy is controlling by a specialized organ called the swim bladder. The swim bladder is a two chambered organ that is filled with gas, that assists the fish in buoyancy, & stability.
Unlike Humans, Greater Amberjack do not completely sleep. The majority of the time, they will simply turn off half of their brain, & slow their metabolism. This is so if a predator approaches, they are able to wake back up quickly to escape.
Juvenile Greater Amberjacks will have a diet comprised primarily of crustaceans, fish & mollusc larvae, & plankton. As the fish ages, it will incorporate squid, crustaceans of various kinds, & sardines into its diet. At no time in their lives are they cannibalistic. They are diurnal hunters, & will eat between 2.5% to 7% of their body weight every day. Due to their fast swimming, their metabolic rate is slightly higher then the majority of other fish. They seem to locate food by chemosensory, & possibly sight. This fish is considered to be an extremely predatory species.
The Greater Amberjack has a grey back & a white underbelly. They have a slender body & smooth body. Juveniles may be seen with clear fins, however most adults have fins that are white or grey.
As of 2025, they are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Their population as well as population trend is unclear, & understudied.
The Reproductive Strategies Of The Greater Amberjack
The Greater Amberjack breeds via sexual reproduction, & has two distinct sexes. This species is not generally hermaphroditic, & cannot self fertilize.
Greater Amberjacks are monogamous, meaning that they will only take one mate each mating season.
Both male & female individuals will become sexually mature between the ages of 3 & 4. This species is known to congregate in large groups, in order to find mates.
Once a mate is found, the fish will copulate. After breeding, the female will swim away to find an area to spawn in. This area tends to be a rock reef, coral reef, shipwreck, or some area with cracks, crevices, & depth. The female will spawn between 18 & 59 million eggs, very few of which will survive to adulthood. Spawning takes place from March to June in the northern hemisphere.
Aside from this, the mother will have no part in their lives. At birth, the fish will be forced to fend for themselves. The eggs are 1.1 millimeters in diameter.
The Distribution Of The Greater Amberjack
The Greater Amberjack is found worldwide, in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, & Atlantic Ocean. These fish are semi-coastal or neritic, in that they will not be found directly along the coast, however they can still be found near the continental slope.
In these oceans, they are known to enjoy depths between 60 & 240 feet. This species is known to migrate from March To June, in order to find a suitable mate. Aside from that, they generally stay in 1 area for the year.
The Scientific Detailings Of The Greater Amberjack
Unfortunately, there are currently very few, or no fossils of the greater amberjack, whose records are in the public domain.
The Greater Amberjack is known by many anglers to be absolutely riddled with tapeworms. Unfortunately, the Greater Amberjack is extremely susceptible to infestations of these worms. Typically, they will be found in the muscle of the fish. Individuals in North Carolina are particularly susceptible to these worms.
Certain flatworms are also known to parasitize the gills of this species, making for an unsightly appearance.
In regard to its anatomy, this species has very small teeth, on both its upper & lower jaws.
Their phylum is Chordata, meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either In adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail, & three middle ear bones.
Their class is Actinopterygii, this means that they are ray-finned fish. This also means that their actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements. This class comprises over 50% of living vertebrate species.
Their order is Carangiformes. This order has existed since the Late Paleocene. Their family is Carangidae. Carangidae is well known for their fast swimming predatory fish, categorized within it.
Their genus is Seriola. A universal trait with this genus is all species are fast swimming, predatory fish. The majority of these fish are also commonly farmed by aquaculture farms. Their binomial name is Seriola Dumerili.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Seriola Dumerili”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by The Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieval Date: January 15th, 2024.
Citation No. 2: “12 Facts About The Amberjack”, Written By Lu Lea, & Published In December of 2023. Published By Facts.Net. Retrieval Date: January 15th, 2024.
Citation No. 3: “Seriola Dumerili (Greater Amberjack)” Written by Keston S. R. Paul, & Published in 2016. Published by The Online Guide to The Animals Of Trinidad & Tobago. Retrieval Date: January 15th, 2024.
Citation No. 4: “Greater Amberjack - Seriola Dumerili” Written By Unknown, & Last Updated on November 7th, 2013. Published By The International Union For The Conservation Of Nature. Retrieval Date: January 15th, 2024.
Citation No. 5: “Age, Growth, & Reproduction of Greater Amberjack off the Southeastern U.S. Atlantic Coast”, Written By Patrick Harris, Paulette T. Powers Mikell, David M. Wyanski, Patrick Harris, & D. Byron White, & Published In November Of 2007. Published By Transactions Of The American Fisheries Society. Retrieval Date: January 15th, 2024.
Citation No. 6: “Seriola Dumerili (Risso 1810”, Written By Jerez Herrera, S., & Vassallo Agius R., & Published In 2016. Published By The Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Retrieval Date: January 15th, 2024.
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