yellow tail

Marine Biology

Understanding

The Yellowtail

Introduction

The seashore of California has been a place of beauty , wonder , and interest . Together with this beauty of the place , are the organisms that live and reside in the area . Many species are intertidal or shallow subtidal inhabitants . These species are striking to the eye that catches attention of those who look at them . One of those marine organisms is the Seriola lalandi or commonly known as the California yellowtail . This specie can be found from the surface of the ocean to a

depth of about 228 feet

Seriola lalandi : The Yellowtail

Natural History

Anything that is abundant in the area is the primary food of the yellowtail . During day time , they are an active predator . Their common foods are the red crabs , anchovies , squid and most of the small fishes that are present on the area . They spawn on the month of June until October . Upon reaching two years of their lives , they become mature sexually . And upon reaching 3 years of age , they are ready to produce eggs . Dependent on the weigh of the yellowtail are the capacity to produce eggs . 450 ,000 eggs can be produced by a yellowtail which weighs of about 10 pounds . However , a number of eggs of more than a million can be produced by a yellowtail weighing about 25 pounds

The yellowtail has an elongated body , a bit compressed , and is narrowing to the sharp snout and the slim tail . A conical shape more or less of the head and the above color of the body ranging from olive brown to brown , and the side of the body having a dark stripe , and the fin 's color is yellowish . The dark stripe on the side of the body of the yellowtail , and its tail being yellow profoundly forked , make it easier distinguishing yellowtail from the other fishes . The largest size of the yellowtail ever been recorded is 5 feet , weighing 80 pounds which is found on the waters of California

Range

From Chile , the yellowtail can be found in the southern Washington where the Gulf of California was situated . Yellowtail can also be found on the surface of the ocean 's and 228 feet below the surface . They had inhabited California , from the Point Conception and to the Coronado Islands , Baja California

Age and Growth

There is no concrete method used to determine the ages of the yellowtails on the early times . The concept used during the early attempts upon distinguishing the ages are typically trial and error However , upon doing several researches , results yield to a conclusion with which become the basis in determining the ages of the yellowtails . The scales of the yellowtails are cycloid , often oblong , and thin . The dermis of the skin of the yellowtail is only a little exposed due to the scales fixed deeply into it . There are circular rings which divide the scales ' outer surface are the one 's examined . Looking at a simpler way the way to determine how old a tree is is the same way as the circular rings on the surface of the scales projects

The data gathered based on the analysis of the age of the yellowtail were used in determining their rate of growth . There is a variation on the size dependent on the ages of the yellowtail . But there is a large range in size during the first part of aging , which the researchers find to be composed of twelve parts of aging

Food and Feeding

A study was done to find relationship and to show if the decrease in the number of the population of the sardine directly affected the decrease of the local yellowtail . The results however point more to the sport fishermen 's bait in capturing the yellowtail . The sardines anchovies , butterfish , smelt , other fishes , squid and different artificial lures belong to the food items of the yellowtail as suggested by Cannon in 1953 . In 1937 , an additional to these food items was proposed by Walford , which was the species of the small fishes

A study was done during the fall of the year 1952 . From different sources , 40 stomachs of the yellowtail were collected and examined Results show that this specie is carnivorous . The presence of squid (Loligo sp ) and the red swimming crab (Pleuroncodes planipes ) didn 't show to contrast the findings . Fishes are more abundant to support the claim that the yellowtails are carnivorous feeders . The conclusion of yellowtail being a carnivorous feeder came from the results of each individual stomach studied to show the presence of dominating specie Upon summing up all the species present on those collected stomachs , one is common and has to be the most important , the fishes

Maturity

Several studies were done to show the maturity of the yellowtail fish It was hard to identify on the male due to varying results . And thus the males are then ruled out of the study and focus more on the female yellowtails . Results and findings show that upon reaching the two years of their age , they became sexually mature . There are no conflicts found on the claim

Frequency of Spawning

The number of eggs a mature yellowtail can produce is dependent on the size and of the age of the yellowtail . The young fishes produce a lesser number of eggs compared to those of the older . During the first year of maturity , the frequency of the spawning of yellowtail happens only once . However , there can be a greater frequency of spawning on the individuals larger in size , of about a three-month period of time

Fishing Information

The areas where yellowtails are abundant are found on the areas circling the Coronado Islands . These areas are the La Jolla Kelp Horseshoe Kelp , the area between the Oceanside and Dana Point , Palos Verdes Peninsula , the on the islands of Santa Catalina and San Clemente Anglers use anchovies , mackerel or squids in fishing the yellowtail They target the places on where the yellowtail populated and let those fishes mill around their boat using live anchovies to interest them and then catch them . A different method was done by small fishermen to catch yellowtails . They troll jigs or feather on areas where these fishes are located

Conclusion

This to shows information on different aspects of life of the Seriola lalandi or commonly known as the California yellowtail . These different aspects are age and growth , food and feeding , maturity , and frequency of spawning . Additional information also helped to further understand the characteristics and behavior of these marine organisms the yellowtail , are the following aspects their natural history physical , range of residence or territory , and the fishing information

References

BAXTER , J . L (1960 . A Study of The Yellowtail Seriola Dorsalis (Gill Retrieved April 12 , 2007 , from HYPERLINK "http /content .cdlib .org /xtf /view ?docId kt query brand calisph ere http /content .cdlib .org /xtf /view ?docId kt query brand calisphe re

Chavez , F .

, Pennington , J . T , Michisaki , R Ryan , J .

(2003 Trends in Fish Populations . Retrieved April 12 , 2007 , from HYPERLINK "http /montereybay .noaa .gov /reports /2003 /eco /harvested .html http /montereybay .noaa .gov /reports /2003 /eco /harvested .html

Murphree , T Schwing , F (2000 . Productivity Cycles in the Monterey Bay Pelagic Ecosystem and La Nisa - Boom or Bust ? Retrieved April 12 2007 , from HYPERLINK "http /montereybay .noaa .gov /educate /newsletters /2000Eco /Pages /physical html http /montereybay .noaa .gov /educate /newsletters /2000Eco /Pages /physical .h tml

Patyten , M (2007 . Marine Region . Retrieved April 12 , 2007 , from HYPERLINK "http /www .dfg .ca .gov /Mrd /mspcont7 .html http /www .dfg .ca .gov /Mrd /mspcont7 .html

RADOVICH , J (1961 . Relationships of Some Marine Organisms of the Northeast Pacific to Water Temperatures Particularly During 1957 Through 1959 . Retrieved April 12 , 2007 , from HYPERLINK "http /content .cdlib .org /xtf /view ?docId kt4r29n72m query brand calisph ere http /content .cdlib .org /xtf /view ?docId kt4r29n72m query brand calisphe re PAGE

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