Seriola lalandi

Geographic Range

Yellowtail have a circumglobal distribution in subtropical waters. The range of California yellowtail ( Seriola lalandi dorsalis ) extends along the Eastern Pacific coast, from Southern California to the Baja California Peninsula.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native
• pacific ocean pacific ocean
  • native native

Habitat

California yellowtail tend to be found over rocky reefs, within kelp beds, and around offshore islands. During the summer, California yellowtail can also be found beneath floating kelp paddies off the coast of Southern California and Baja California. These fish may be found at up to 228 m in depth in water temperatures ranging from 18º to 24º Celsius.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• tropical tropical
• saltwater or marine saltwater or marine

• Aquatic Biomes
• reef reef
• coastal coastal
• brackish water brackish water

Physical Description

Their fusiform body is blue-indigo, while their sides and belly are silver; with a narrow bronze stripe along the lateral line, becoming yellow as it nears the tail-end; most fins, including the caudal fin, are yellow. California yellowtail may grow up to 2.5 meters in length and may weigh up to 36.3 kilograms. The largest recorded individual was caught off Baja California and weighed 41.3 kilograms.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• heterothermic heterothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike

Development

Fertilized eggs develop into planktotrophic larvae, and eventually into juvenile fish. Older fish may only grow 0.5 to 1 kilograms per year, while younger fish tend to grow 1.5 to 2 kilograms per year. During their first year, California yellowtail average 50.8 centimeters in length and 1.75 kilograms; while at 5 years old, they average 83.82 centimeters in length and 7.25 kilograms; and at 10 years old, they average 111.76 centimeters in length and 16 kilograms.

Reproduction

California yellowtail are a broadcast spawning species. Courtship between the male and female starts 30 to 90 minutes before spawning commences. During courtship, a male positions himself beneath a female with his snout touching the female's gonoduct. The pair displays erratic swimming: sudden bursts of speed and sudden mid-water stalls with their snouts or bodies touching. Ten to fifteen minutes before spawning begins, the male begins to nip at the female's abdomen, while the female turns on her side and begins to swim in a circular fashion. As the female begins to spawn, the male follows suit. Spawning lasts approximately 20 seconds.

• Mating System
• polygynandrous (promiscuous) polygynandrous (promiscuous)

California yellowtail spawn every year between the winter months of December and January. While spawning, the female may release up to 150 eggs; however, approximately 100 eggs are fertilized at a time. Spawning only occurs when the water temperature is above 17° Celsius. Reproductive output is dependent on body size, with smaller fish producing 458,000 eggs annually, and up to 3,914,000 eggs for large females. Larvae begin to hatch approximately 103 to 108 hours after fertilization. The larvae lack eyes and a fully developed digestive system, but develop these features 4 days after hatching. After the eyes and digestive system have developed, the larvae begin to feed on planktonic organisms. Sexual maturity is usually reached at 2 to 3 years for both females and males. Females are mature at approximately 75 centimeters in total length.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • external external
• broadcast (group) spawning
• oviparous oviparous

As broadcast spawners, California yellowtail show no parental investment.

• Parental Investment
• no parental involvement

Lifespan/Longevity

Wild California yellowtail have an estimated maximum lifespan of 12 years. Although a longer lifespan is possible, as a prized gamefish, many members of this species will not reach an advanced age in the wild. Their average lifespan is 5 to 6 years.

Behavior

Schools of California yellowtail migrate along the coastlines of California and Mexico. During the summer, schools migrate south along the coast of the Baja California peninsula. During the winter, they move northwards. California yellowtail are well known around the Channel Islands, but they have been seen farther north near Washington.

• Key Behaviors
• natatorial natatorial
• diurnal diurnal
• nocturnal nocturnal
• crepuscular crepuscular
• motile motile
• migratory migratory
• social social

Home Range

This species has neither a home range nor a specific territory.

Communication and Perception

Aside from sensory adaptations common to most bony fish species (such as eyes, nares, lateral line, and ear bones), little specific information is known about how California yellowtail communicate and perceive their local environment. However, during courtship, California yellowtail communicate their intention to mate by swimming erratically and touching the bodies of conspecifics.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Larval California yellowtail are planktivorous, while adults are carnivorous predators, known to consume round herring , sardines, squids, northern anchovies , and California flyingfish .

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • piscivore piscivore
  • molluscivore molluscivore
• planktivore planktivore

• Animal Foods
• fish
• mollusks

Predation

The body of California yellowtail has pelagic counter shading, with a bluish dorsum and silvery-white venter, which serves as an anti-predator adaptation. Eggs and larvae of California yellowtail are eaten by mollusks, echinoderms, crabs, and fish. Small juveniles can be eaten by any other organism larger than themselves. Although adults have few predators due to their speed, great white sharks and California sea lions are able to catch and consume them. Humans are primary predators, harvesting large numbers in recreational and commercial fisheries.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

California yellowtail are secondary and tertiary consumers in coastal marine ecosystems, helping structure the populations of their prey. Furthermore, they serve as prey to larger marine carnivores. Yellowtail are known to harbor over 40 species of ecto- and endoparasitic symbionts on their gills and within their viscera.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

California yellowtail migrate to the Southern California coast during their spawning season. This generates sport fishing tourism to Baja California to catch this highly prized fish. This species is raised intensively in aquaculture operations in Australia; there is broad literature on their husbandry in captivity.

• Positive Impacts
• food food
• ecotourism ecotourism

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

No negative effects have been reported from California yellowtail. They are non-aggressive towards humans.

Conservation Status

Marine protected areas (MPAs) established in southern California waters provide protection for critical habitat and spawning aggregation locations for yellowtail. California Fish and Game regulations have banned gill nets along coastal waters to a distance of 3 nautical miles offshore. However, while some regulations are in place within California waters, yellowtail bycatch in Mexican waters is not monitored adequately, and a general lack of knowledge about the population dynamics of California yellowtail make them a species vulnerable to overfishing.

Other Comments

California yellowtail have two subspecies: Seriola lalandi dorsalis and Seriola lalandi lalandi .

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

BioKIDS Critter Catalog

Contributors

Jose Sandoval (author), San Diego Mesa College, Paul Detwiler (editor), San Diego Mesa College, Leila Siciliano Martina (editor), Texas State University.

References

Baxter, J. 1960. "A study of the Yellowtail, Seriola dorsalis (Gill)" (On-line). Calisphere. Accessed November 13, 2013 at http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt15800182;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=d0e117&toc.depth=1&toc.id=&brand=calisphere .

Hutson, K. 2007. Parasite interactions between wild and farmed Yellowtail Kingfish ( Seriola lalandi ) in southern Australia . Adelaide: The University of South Australia. Accessed December 12, 2013 at http://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/47938/1/02whole.pdf .

Luna, S., A. Ortañez. 2008. " Seriola lalandi " (On-line). Fishbase.org. Accessed September 10, 2013 at http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Seriola-lalandi.html .

McGrouther, M. 2012. "Yellowtail Kingfish, Seriola lalandi Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1833" (On-line). Australian Museum. Accessed September 11, 2013 at http://australianmuseum.net.au/yellowtail-kingfish-seriola-lalandi/ .

Moran, D., C. Smith, B. Gara, C. Poortennar. 2007. Reproductive behaviour and early development in yellowtail kingfish ( Seriola lalandi Valenciennes 1833). Aquaculture , 262(1): 95-104.

Poortennar, C., S. Hooker, N. Sharp. 2001. Assessment of yellowtail kingfish ( Seriola lalandi lalandi ) reproductive physiology, as a basis for aquaculture development. Aquaculture , 201(3-4): 271-286.

Tanner, J., M. Fernandes. 2010. Environmental effects of yellowtail kingfish aquaculture in South Australia. Aquaculture Environment Interactions , Vol. 1: 155-165. Accessed September 10, 2013 at http://www.int-res.com/articles/aei2010/1/q001p155.pdf .

2010. " Seriola lalandi " (On-line). Encyclopedia of Life. Accessed September 11, 2013 at http://eol.org/pages/206800/details .

2012. "California Yellowtail Full Species Report" (On-line pdf). Blue Ocean. Accessed October 01, 2013 at http://blueocean.org/documents/2012/03/yellowtail-california-full-species-report.pdf .

California Department of Fish and Game. The status of the California yellowtail resource and its management. 16. Long Beach, CA: California Department of Fish and Game. 1973. Accessed September 09, 2013 at http://aquaticcommons.org/671/1/Technical_Report_1973_No._16.pdf_A.pdf .