Photo of a Yellowtail School

By June 23, 2007January 12th, 2016Photo of the Day

My daughter’s favorite fish is yellowtail (Seriola lalandi). We grill it on the bbq, in foil, with olive oil and garlic. Its pretty good that way! While out searching for kelp paddies offshore of San Diego, we would often find yellowtail in the summer, schooling around the paddies. These predatory members of the jack family terrorize the bait schools that seek protection under kelp paddies. Yellowtail are a favorite target of freediving spearfishermen, and the spearos on Skip‘s annual Guadalupe Island trips often shot enormous toads, huge yellowtail that on three occasions broke the world record for largest North Pacific yellowtail taken spearfishing.

School of juvenile North Pacific Yellowtail, attracted to nearby drift kelp, open ocean, Seriola lalandi, San Diego, California

School of juvenile North Pacific Yellowtail, attracted to nearby drift kelp, open ocean.
Image ID: 02439
Species: North Pacific Yellowtail, Seriola lalandi
Location: San Diego, California, USA

About Phil Colla

I am a natural history photographer. I enjoy making compelling images in the ocean, on land, and in the air. I have maintained the Natural History Photography blog since 2005 and my searchable Natural History Photography Library since 1997. Here are some tear sheets and behind the scenes views. Thanks for looking!