Greater Amberjack
Seriola Dumerili
AKA: Amberjack, Jack, Reef Donkey
Description: Amberjacks have a dark stripe on the head, which runs from the nose, through the eye, to the front of the first dorsal fin. Their backs are blue or olive-colored, the sides and belly are silver-white. Occasionally there is an amber or pinkish color to the body. Juveniles have five or six vertical bars along the sides. They have a long anal fin base.
Size: Greater amberjack grow to 6 feet and more than 200 pounds.
Sometimes confused with: Lesser Amberjack and Almaco Jack
Habitat: Amberjack are an offshore fish found in the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They are frequently found near reefs, wrecks, rocky outcrops, hardbottom and Sargassum patches and floating debris from the outer reefs to open waters. Studies indicate Amberjack move in the spring from the Carolinas to southeast Florida and into the northern gulf.
