Please select the required species from the list:
Additional Information:
Tuna Species Names in Various Languages
| English: | Albacore Tuna (long finned tuna) |
| Latin: | Thunnus alalunga |
| Size + Weight: | Average today about 40-100 cm about 4.5 – 11 kg |
| Biggest Angled Fish: | 40 kgs, 123 cm, Canary Island, 1977 by Siegfried Dickeman |
| Maturity | Size 75-90 cm, Weight 8-15 kg, Age 2-5 years. |
| Maximum | Size 130 cm, Weight 40 kg, age 15 years. |
| Catching Areas 2011: | 32% Northern Pacific 31% Southern Pacific 21% Atlantic Ocean + Mediterranean 16% Indian Ocean |
| Catching Methods: | Longlining, Pole-and-line, trolling |
| Share of all Tuna Caught: | 2011 - about 6% - 237.000 m/t |
| Main Production Areas: | Thailand, Indonesia, United States, Japan, Spain (Bonito Del Norte) |
| Life Cycle: | About 5 years |
| Major Markets: | United Sates, Canada, Japan, Spain |
| Popular Product Forms: | Canned (White Tuna) Fresh Frozen |
| More Detailed Description: | Long pectoral fins, which reach to behind the anus and by their dark blue backs and blue-grey flanks and belly |
Product Characteristics:
Due to its white colored meat albacore is also called "the chicken of the sea". As canned product it is quite popular in the States, where it is marketed as "White Tuna". The meat has a somewhat dry of texture, and the taste comes close to the taste of chicken meat. In Spain Atlantic Albacore is especially popular in jars with olive oil, sold as “Bonito Del Marte”.
Future Supply:
The stock of Albacore in the Northern Pacific isn’t overfished. There are also no indications that the stock in Southern Pacific is overfished either. In the Northern Atlantic Ocean is there no clear evidence of a sustained increase in biomass or a stable one. In the Southern Atlantic Ocean there are indications of the Albacore being in an overfished state. The situation in the Mediterranean is unknown. There are indications in the Indian Ocean that if overfishing continues the stock size is expected to go below the limit. The total global catch of Albacore showed a decrease of 3% in 2011.
English: |
Bigeye Tuna |
Latin: |
Thunnus obesus |
Size + Weight: |
Average today about 40-180 cm about 1,4-130 kg |
Biggest Angled Fish: |
197,3 kg, 236 cm, Peru, 1957 Russel Lee |
Maturity |
Size 105 cm, Weight 25 kg, Age 3-4 years |
Maximum |
Size 230 cm, Weight 210 kg, Age 15 years |
Catching Areas: 2011 |
21% Eastern Pacific |
Catching Methods: |
Longlining, Purse seining and Pole-and-line (by-catch) |
Share of all Tuna Caught: |
2011 about 10% - 398.000 m/t |
Main Production Areas: |
Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, Italy |
Life Cycle: |
About 7-8 |
Major Markets: |
Japan (sashimi) |
Popular Product Forms: |
Fresh (whole fish) |
Bigeye tuna are similar to Yellowfin tuna. They are hard to distinct sometimes. They swim at greater depth then Skipjack and Yellowfin, and therefore have more fat to insulate them from the cold water. This makes them especially attractive for the Japanese sashimi market.
Product Characteristics:
The meat turns light gray and somewhat darkish after cooking or grilling. Its color makes it less fit for canning. The color and taste of big fish gets almost near to that of beef. In S-America sometimes baby -bigeye are used for canning, this is still marketed as light meat. In Atlantic Ocean there are no indications to be in an overfished state.
Future Supply:
In the stock of Eastern Pacific Ocean are there indications that the stock is expected to fall below limit in a few years. In the Western Central Pacific Ocean the stock has been subjected to overfishing for over one decade. But it hasn’t become higher than the average levels of recruitment in recent years. In the Indian Ocean shows no indication to be in an overfished state. The total global catch of Bigeye showed an increase with 13% in 2011.
English: |
Atlantic Bonito |
Latin: |
Sarda sarda or sarda spp |
Size + Weight: |
Average today abt 40 -50 cm abt 2,5 kg |
Biggest Angled Fish: |
Size 91.4 cm, Weight 5.4 kgs, Portugal Madeira Island, 1979, Karl Ziegenfuss |
Catching Areas: |
South Chinese Sea |
Catching Methods: |
Mostly purse seining |
Share of all Tuna Caught: |
Less than 1% |
Main Production Areas: |
Greece, Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia, Spain |
Spawning Areas: |
Within coastal waters |
Life Cycle: |
About 1-2 years |
Major Markets: |
Turkey, Greece, Spain, Western-Europe |
Popular Product Forms: |
Fried |
Bonito is a species associated with the tuna family, but cannot be marketed as Tuna in many countries.
Bonito is quite popular as a fried fish with olive oil, especially in the Mediterranean region. Due to its small size, and firm dark meat it is well fit for this purpose. The species is mostly fished in coastal water by small local vessels. The catches tend to be quite seasonal.
Product characteristics: The bonito meat has a firm texture and a darkish color, however small / young bonito can also have quite a light color, close to that of skipjack. This is one of the reasons why it is sometimes used as a cheaper substitute of skipjack tuna, especially for canning purposes. The bonito has a moderate fat content.
Future Supply: Due to the fact that bonito are caught by relatively small vessels and in several local regions, also as by-catch, it is quite hard to determine what the supply will be or is. Catching volumes in the Black sea and Mediterranean have been decreasing during the last decade. The catches in the Golf of Thailand, along the Birmese Coast, and South China Sea supply the canned tuna industry. The size of the fish tends to become smaller, the supply is irregular and quite limited.
English: |
Northern Bluefin Tuna (North-west Pacific + North- East Atlantic + Mediterranean) |
Latin: |
Thunnus thynnus |
Size: |
Today's common size is 80-200 cm |
Biggest Angled Fish: |
304cm, 677 kgs Canada, 1979 Ken Fraser |
Maturity |
Size 110-190 cm, Weight 30-120 kg, Age 4-11 years |
Maximum |
Size 300 cm, Weight 650 kg, Age 25 years |
Catching Areas: |
60% Pacific Ocean |
Catching Methods: |
Purse seiner and Longliner |
Share of all Tuna Caught: |
About 0.75 % - 30.000 m/t |
Main Production Areas: |
Japan |
Life Cycle: |
Up to 25 years |
Major Markets: |
Japan |
Popular Product Forms: |
Canned (White Tuna) |
Northern Bluefin tuna makes extensive migrations. It is the slowest growing tuna species, which can reach an age of 20 years or more, which explains her size. Bluefin is extremely popular in Japan for sashimi, due to its large size, color, texture and high fat content of the meat. Its quality in combination with its rarity makes it the most expensive tuna species.
Future Supply:
The Northern Bluefin is certainly a tuna species under threat. It’s slow growing, in combination with the over-exploitation of the stocks has caused authorities to implement catching quota in the Eastern Atlantic. The total global catch of the Northern Bluefin tuna showed a decrease of 6% in 2011.
English: |
Skipjack Tuna (stripe-bellied Bonito) |
Latin: |
Katsuwonus pelamis |
Size: |
Common today 40-80 cm |
Biggest Angled Fish: |
20 kgs , Mexico 1996 by Brian Evan |
Maturity |
1 year and around 2 kgs |
Maximum |
Size 110 cm, Weight 30 kgs, Age 15 years |
Catching Areas: 2011 |
63% Western Pacific Ocean |
Catching Methods: |
Mostly purse seining, some pole-and-line (8%) |
Share of all Tuna Caught: 2011 |
About 60% - 2.434.000 m/t |
Main Production Areas: |
Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Ecuador, Ghana, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Samoa, Spain, Italy, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Vietnam |
Life Cycle: |
About 3 years max. |
Major Markets: |
Japan (Katsuobushi), Europe, United States |
Emerging Markets: |
South - America |
Popular Product Forms: |
Canned |
More Detailed Description: |
Skipjack Tunas are distinguished by the presence of four to seven dark, longitudinal stripes on their bellies. Their dark blue backs are accentuated by a clearly defined area of green above the pectoral fin, which fades away towards the middle of the body. They have silvery flanks and bellies and short fins. (These subheadings do not cover the Atlantic or belted bonitos (Sarda sarda), which have oblique bands on their backs. |
Skipjack is the most popular tuna for consumption. It prefers to swim in the upper mixed layers of the ocean water, and mostly found between 45o N and 40o S. It is highly migratory and can be found all over the world within tropical waters. Large schools sometimes mix with small yellowfin. Normally dolphins do not swim together with the small skipjack, which almost makes it a guaranteed dolphin-safe species.
Product characteristics:
The meat of the skipjack has a somewhat darker of color sometimes even slightly pinkish. It has a relatively tender texture, and is has somewhat more a fishy taste then some other tuna species. The small size of the fish gives small loins and chunks. Making it excellent for canned tuna chunks.
Future Supply:
Skipjack is clearly a species that is difficult to overfish because of its highly active reproductive behavior. Local overfishing has been noted, however it should not been harmful for the spawning stock as a whole. The total global catch of Skipjack showed an increase of 5% in 2011.
English: |
Southern Bluefin Tuna (Southern Pacific, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean) |
Latin: |
Thunnus maccoyii |
Size: |
Common today about 150 cm about 8 years |
Biggest Angled Fish: |
Size 203 cm, Weight 158 kg, New Zealand in 1981 by Rodney James Beard |
Maturity |
Size 110-190 cm, Weight 30-120 kg, Age 4-11 years |
Maximum |
Size 200 cm, Weight 200 kg, Age up to 40 years |
Catching Areas 2011: |
17% Pacific Ocean |
Catching Methods: |
Pole and Line, surface trolling and long-line fishing |
Share of all Tuna Caught: |
In 2011 About 0,2% - 9300 m/t |
Main Production Areas: |
Thailand, Indonesia, United States, Japan |
Life Cycle: |
At least 12 years |
Major Markets: |
Japan |
Popular Product Forms: |
Fresh (Sashimi), super frozen |
Southern Bluefin’s are large, fast swimmer and a pelagic fish. It’s considered the ultimate delicatessen of the tuna family in Japan. For Bluefin sashimi (raw tuna fillets) the Japanese are willing to pay extremely high prices, due its size, color, high fat content, texture and taste. The high price is caused by the fact that this tuna species is very hard to get. Very few markets can compete with the prices that Japanese buyers are willing pay.
Future Supply:
The Southern Bluefin tuna is the most overexploited tuna species. The stocks are heavily depleted. Japan, Australia and New Zealand have imposed restrictions on the catching of this tuna species. This situation has triggered actions by several environmental groups such as WWF and GreenPeace. Many initiatives around the world have been taken to ranch wild caught bluefin tuna in captivity, In Croatia, Spain, Marocco, Australia and Japan. This industry will continue to grow, but due to the slow growth of the big-eye and the high costs involved, it cannot fulfil the demand for bluefin in any way. The total catch of the Southern Bluefin showed a decrease of 2% in 2011, but from 2009 it decreased a total of 15%.
English: |
Tongol (longtail tuna) |
Latin: |
Thunnus tonggol |
Size + Weight: |
Average today abt 90 cm abt 15-20 kg |
Biggest Angled Fish: |
35,7 kgs Australia, 1982 Tim Simpson |
Catching Areas: |
65% Western Pacific |
Catching Methods: |
Mostly pole and line, Long Lines |
Share of all Tuna Caught: |
About 4 % or 125.000 m/t |
Main Production Areas: |
Thailand, Indonesia |
Major Markets: |
United Sates, Sweden |
Popular Product Forms: |
Canned (white Tuna) |
Tongol is mostly popular for canning purposes. It is a very seasonal fish caught mostly by small vessels in the waters along the Malay and Burmese coast. Also around the Indonesian archipelago there are local catches. Product characteristics: The meat is quite tender and has an almost white color. It has not too much taste. It is by some more appreciated as a canned product then the somewhat drier albacore meat.
Future Supply:
There is limited data available on the volume of the catch, and the status of the current stocks. One reason is that Tongol is mainly caught by small local vessels, which makes monitoring difficult. The general feeling is that tongol catches are close to – at or already over their MSY,this due to decreases in the sizes of the landed fish. Availability tends to be very seasonal, and restricted to mainly Indonesia and Thailand.
There is a general lack of information and data with all major tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO’s) on Tongol tuna.
English: |
Yellowfin Tuna |
Latin: |
Thunnus albacares |
Size + Weight: |
Today about 40-150 cm about 1,3-70 kgs |
Biggest Angled Fish: |
184 kgs, San Diego United States, 2010 by Mike Livingston |
Maturity |
Size 105 cm, Weight 25 kgs, Age 2-3 years |
Maximum |
Size 200 cm, Weight 175 kgs, Age 8 years |
Catching Areas: 2011 |
20% Eastern Pacific |
Catching Methods: |
Mostly purse seining, long-lining, pole-and-line |
Share of all Tuna Caught: 2011 |
About 26% - 1.037.000 m/t |
Main Production Areas: |
Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, Italy |
Life Cycle: |
About 7 years |
Major Markets: |
Japan, Southern-Europe, United States |
Popular Product Forms: |
Canned |
More Detailed Description: |
Easily to recognize by the sickle-shap of their anal and second dorsal fins. |
Yellowfin is the second tuna species is terms of volume and popularity. They are found between 45oN and 40oS. They cover enormous distances around the globe, and all stocks mingle. It is a big fish, which can swim at very high speed, which may be one of the reasons why in some areas, dolphins and large full-grown yellowfin swim together. Through extensive measures from the side of the tuna industry and the creation of some very good monitoring programs. Fortunately the volume by-catch of dolphins has become insignificant now in relation to the it’s natural mortality, and was below 500 dolphins on a global basis.
Product Characteristics:
In cooked form the yellowfin meat tends to have a to very light yellow/brown color. The structure of the meat is quite firm, and the taste is mild. If the fish gets larger then 10-15 kgs the meat tends to become slightly darker and somewhat dryer. The large size of the yellowfin make it well fit for solid pack in cans.
Future Supply:
The stock of Eastern Pacific Ocean has the spawning biomass increased in response to decreasing fishing mortality. There are no indications of the Western Central Pacific Ocean stock to be in an overfished state because the spawning biomass is above MSY level. The stock in the Indian Ocean is in a healthy state. In the stock in Atlantic Ocean is the spawning biomass uncertain because of two assessment models that have different results, one increasing and one decreasing. The general concern on yellowfin is that due to increased catches of baby-yellowfin on FAD’s, the stocks might suffer on the long term. The total global catch of Yellowfin showed a decrease of 2% in 2011.
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