July 2006 Guess the Fish Contest Answer & Winner This month's fish is a Greater Amberjack. Distinguishing Features The greater amberjack is an elongate brownish fish with a distinctive black 'mask' running from the upper jaw through the eye to the first dorsal fin. Some individuals have a diffuse yellow stripe along the sides. The caudal fin is deeply forked and they have a fleshy keel on the caudal peduncle. Distribution In the western Atlantic, the greater amberjack ranges from Massachusetts to southeast Brazil. Genetic analysis indicates that the coastal Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations have limited gene flow (1). They are found worldwide in warm-temperate to tropical waters. Habitat Greater amberjacks can be found from outer reefs to open waters, ranging in depth from 20 meters to 335 meters. Greater Amberjack are frequently encountered near structure such as reefs, sargassum patches, and floating debris (2, 3). Along the Atlantic coast, tagging studies indicate spring movements from the Carolinas to southeast Florida. Ecology Greater amberjacks opportunistic predators on smaller benthic and pelagic fishes and cephalopods(4, 5). Juvenile fish (9.0-18.5 cm) feed largely upon planktonic decapod larvae and other invertebrates (6, 7). Recent studies have noted that Greater Amberjack may be capable of "ram feeding" (8). Greater amberjack may live to at least 15 years with females living longer than males; males mature at four years of age and females at age five (9, 10). Special Notes The greater amberjack is an important food and game fish (10). Landing in the early 1990's in the Atlantic U.S. are approximately 1.9 million pounds per year. Greater Amberjack have recently entered aquaculture (11 - 15). Large individuals have been implicated in cases of ciguatera poisoning (16, 1 This month's winner is Jim Byrne from Langhorne, Pa.