Since fish are managed according to where they are found and how they are caught, it’s important to understand some of the critical elements about fish stocks and gear type used. Seafood for the Future provides a list of recommended sustainable seafood by species and simplified explanation about what’s important in the selection of each.

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Yellowtail (jack)

Seriola lalandi

Family: Carangidae (jacks) 

Common names: The FDA acceptable market names are yellowtail and amberjack (the scientific common name is also yellowtail).  Non-market vernacular names include: great amberjack, horse-eye bonito, coronado.  Also commonly known as California yellowtail off the California coast.

View the FDA list of legal market fish names.

Do not confuse with: Several other species are known as yellowtail, such as the Atlantic yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus).  Other, congeneric species legally sold under the name yellowtail include yellowtail kingfish from Australia (a subspecies), greater amberjack from the Atlantic (Seriola dumerili), and Japanese yellowtail (S. quinqueradiata, ), which is commonly served as hamachi.  None of these are sourced from FAO area 77.

SFF determination:
California yellowtail is supported, according to available state and federal information.  While no population estimates exist for yellowtail in California state waters, the resource appears to be healthy, with wide fluctuations in landings coinciding with changes in water temperature year to year.

Primary Commercial Fishing Gear:

Drift gillnet with mesh size 3.5 inches (9 cm).

Other Commercial Fishing Gear:

Hook and line.  Some yellowtail caught in Mexican waters using purse seine or roundhaul gear may be landed in California ports legally, according to the CA White Seabass FMP, even though this gear is not legal in US waters.

Geographic Range:

The sport and commercial fisheries are confined to the area south of Point Conception in California. Full geographic range of S. lalandi is throughout the Pacific.

Endorsed stocks originate in FAO area 77.  View FAO fishing area map.

Bycatch/Interactions:

The CA drift gillnet fishery for yellowtail, barracuda, and white seabass (mesh size 3.5 to 14 inches) is listed as a Category II fishery with respect to marine mammal interactions.  In the 2003 and 2004 seasons, onboard observers recorded no interactions with loggerhead sea turtles, which are potential bycatch in this fishery.  NOAA will include this fishery in the observer program for the Annual Determination of sea turtle interactions.

Download the federal List of Fisheries, which reports interactions between fisheries and  marine mammals according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Managing Authority:

  • California Department of Fish and Game (CA DFG)

Life History Traits:

These fish are relatively slow growing; they may live in excess of 30 years and the largest fish recorded weighed 80 pounds. Yellowtail spawn after an age of 2-3 years during summer months, June through September. Commerical hook-and-line fisherman usually land 4 to 12 pound fish, none of which can be less than 28 inches long, by law. Yellowtail are much more abundant during years that the water is warmer (i.e. El Nino), with great fluctuations year-to year in commercial landings. Also, market conditions appear to dictate landings greatly, with greater demand for yellowtail occurring when tuna are unavailable, or when the market has high demand for fresh yellowtail.

Commercial Season:

When fish are available (particularly during warm water years), they are usually found nearshore in the spring and fall, then further offshore during summer months.

Health Advisory:

Women and children under 132 lbs. (60 kg) should eat no more than 8 oz. per week, according to NMFS data and the USDA reference dose guideline.

Seafood Advisory Consensus:

  • Blue Ocean Institute – Not listed.  Note: Japanese yellowtail is listed as Red (1.25/4.00)
  • Monterey Bay Seafood Watch – Not listed.  Note: Australian/Japanese yellowtail are listed as Avoid
  • Environmental Defense Fund – Not listed.  Note: Australian/Japanese yellowtail are listed as Red
  • Marine Stewardship Council – No certified stocks
  • WWF – Not listed
  • SeaChoice – Not listed.  Note: Australian/Japanese yellowtail are listed as Red
  • New England Aquarium – Not listed
  • Greenpeace – Not red listed


A measurement of how the National Marine Fisheries Service assesses the sustainability of fish stock managed in domestic waters. A 4-point scale (4 being the most sustainable) that scores the size of the fish stock in relation to the amount of fishing. Not all fish stocks have an FSSI score.


Some fishing methods are harmful to whales and dolphins, turtles, seabirds, and non-targeted fish. Fishing gear may also damage fish habitat by dragging on the seafloor. Regional fisheries councils and state fisheries management authorities provide bycatch information and habitat damage so that we can recommend fish from the most sustainable fishing methods possible.


Fish that are managed under U.S. fisheries programs cover a wide geographic range and can be found from Maine to Guam, a distance that’s equivalent to a third of the way around the Earth. Some programs fall under state jurisdiction, while others are run by one of the regional fisheries management councils.