Greater Amberjack - Seriola dumerili - Cruising above the Rozi Wreck

Greater Amberjacks cruise through the blue water above the Rozi wreck at Ċirkewwa, Malta, surrounded by numerous smaller reef fish.

The Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) has a powerful, elongated and streamlined body that is moderately compressed from side to side, with a well-developed head, narrow caudal peduncle and deeply forked tail. Its colour is generally bluish-grey or olive above and silvery-white below, often with a yellowish or amber stripe running along the side. A strong and fast-swimming predator, it inhabits open water and areas around offshore reefs, rocky structures, wrecks and steep coastal drop-offs, where it feeds mainly on fishes as well as squid and other marine invertebrates. Greater Amberjacks may occur alone or in small groups and are widespread throughout the Mediterranean and other warm temperate and tropical seas. The species can reach about 190 centimetres in total length, although around one metre is more typical. In this photograph several Greater Amberjacks are cruising above the Rozi, a former tugboat scuttled at Ċirkewwa, Malta, in 1992 and now established as an artificial reef rich in marine life.