Yellowfin Tuna

Common Name:  Yellowfin tuna
Scientific Name:  Thunnus albacares
Habitat:  Open ocean
Location: Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans between 40 degrees north and 40 degrees south but concentrated between 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south
Conservation Status: Atlantic: healthy; East Pacific: healthy but overfishing; West Pacific: healthy but overfishing; Indian Ocean: Overfished

Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) are cage-fed to improve the quality of their meat. La Paz, Mexico.
© Brian J. Skerry / National Geographic Stock / WWF

Physical Description

Yellowfin tuna are torpedo-shaped with dark metallic blue backs, yellow sides, and a silver belly.  They have very long anal and dorsal fins that are bright yellow, as are their finlets.  Yellowfin can live up to six or seven years, grow to a length of 7 feet, and weigh 450 pounds.

Habitat and Distribution

Yellowfin are highly migratory and are found throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans (between 40 degrees north and 40 degrees south but concentrated between 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south).  Yellowfin tend to school by size with other yellowfin as well as with other species.  Juvenile yellowfin, for example, form schools with skipjack tuna and juvenile bigeye tuna in shallow waters.   

Diet

Yellowfin are opportunistic feeders that prey on smaller fish, crustaceans and squid.

Reproduction

Yellowfin tuna reach reproductive maturity around two to three years of age and two to three feet long. While spawning season varies by ocean, all yellowfin spawn frequently and several times during the season.

Threats

Since juvenile yellowfin school with adult skipjack, they are increasingly caught as bycatch by vessels that target skipjack.  The removal of these juveniles before they have a chance to spawn could lead to fewer yellowfin in the long term.

Policy

Yellowfin fisheries are managed by

• The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) in the Atlantic Ocean
• The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in the Indian Ocean
• Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in the Western Pacific Ocean
• The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean