The southern yellowtail amberjack, yellowtail kingfish or great amberjack, Seriola lalandi, is a large fish found in the Southern Ocean. Although previously thought to be found in all oceans and seas, recent genetic analysis restricts S. lalandi proper to the Southern Hemisphere waters.
Biology
Very little is known of the kingfish's biology, including their habitat preferences throughout juvenile life stages, migration patterns, and wild reproductive behaviour. Adults live around rocky reefs, rocky outcrops and dropoffs in coastal waters, and around pinnacles and offshore islands. Maximum length is often reported to reach up to 180Â cm. Kingfish can be eaten in a variety of ways, including grilling, sashimi, and drying.
Culture
Seriola lalandi has been established as a suitable candidate for marine aquaculture. In contrast to the culture of S. quinqueradiata (which has long been cultured extensively in Japan), 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 (2010) 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 (northern New Zealand). 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.
References
Further reading
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2005). "Seriola lalandi" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBNÂ 0-00-216987-8
- Yellowtail kingfish biology http://www.microcosmofscience.com
- Cape yellowtail (Giant yellowtail) http://www.aquarium.co.za/species/entry/giant_yellowtail_cape_yellowtail
- SERIOLA LALANDI from New Caledonia (En/Fr)
