The greater amberjack is widely distributed in temperate and tropical seas around the world. It occurs in the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia down to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean sea, as well as in the eastern Atlantic, from Portugal and the Canary islands south to Angola and throughout the Mediterranean.

The greater amberjack is also found in the Indian ocean, from the east coast of Africa to the Mascarene islands, and in the Pacific ocean, from southern Japan to French Polynesia.

The greater amberjack is a pelagic fish that prefers deep coastal areas, reef slopes and shipwrecks, typically at depths between about 200 and 1,000 feet, but it can also move closer to the surface.

The greater amberjack is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The greater amberjack appears in the IUCN Red List since 2015 within the category Least Concern !