1. Tuna
  2. Skipjack Tuna

Skipjack Tuna

  1. Tuna
  2. Skipjack Tuna

Facts

  • Status
    Least Concern
  • Scientific Name
    Katsuwonus pelamis
  • Weight
    40 pounds
  • Length
    up to 3 feet
  • Habitats
    Oceans

Skipjack are the smallest and most abundant of the major commercial tuna species. They have a streamlined body that is mostly without scales. Their backs are dark purple-blue and their lower sides and bellies are silver with four to six dark bands. Skipjack can live as long as eight to 10 years. They are found mainly in the tropical areas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, with the greatest abundance seen near the equator. Skipjack usually swim near the surface at night and can dive up to 850 feet during the day. Large schools of adult skipjack tuna often mix with juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna. They can breed year-round.

Browse Photos & Videos

Where did your can of tuna come from?

Have any idea where your most recent can came from? Here's one common route—and how WWF is working to make it sustainable.
Continue Reading More Stories
Tuna Can Infographic Phase 1

Why They Matter

  • Skipjack are commercially important as the main species of canned tuna. Although tuna do provide food and livelihoods for people, they are more than just seafood. Tuna are a top predator in the marine food chain, maintaining a balance in the ocean environment.

Threats

  • Extinction Risk Least Concern
    1. EX
      Extinct

      No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died

    2. EW
      Extinct in the Wild

      Known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population

    3. CR
      Critically Endangered

      Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the Wild

    4. EN
      Endangered

      Facing a high risk of extinction in the Wild

    5. VU
      Vulnerable

      Facing a high risk of extinction in the Wild

    6. NT
      Near Threatened

      Likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future

    7. LC
      Least Concern

      Does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Near Threatened

Skipjack tuna are abundant throughout their range and populations appear healthy. However, bycatch is a serious issue. Since juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna often school with adult skipjack, they are caught by purse seine vessels that target skipjack.

The skipjack tuna, while quite resilient, could easily slip into a vulnerable state due to overfishing if improperly managed.

Overfishing

The skipjack tuna, while quite resilient, could easily slip into a vulnerable state due to overfishing if improperly managed.

Bycatch

Skipjack tuna are abundant throughout their range and populations appear healthy. However, since juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna often school with adult skipjack, they are caught by purse seine vessels that target skipjack.

What WWF Is Doing

Tuna are integral parts of the entire marine ecosystem and our goal is for populations to be healthy and well-managed. We partner with governments and regional fisheries management organizations to advocate for stricter plans to recover depleted tuna stocks, combat pirate fishing and reduce bycatch.

WWF works with other organizations and the fishing industry to transform tuna fishing into a sustainable business, particularly through certification of tuna fisheries by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). WWF helps ensure that tuna are harvested responsibly and sustainably managed through work with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). We encourage retailers to source from fisheries that are MSC-certified and work to raise consumer awareness about sustainably caught tuna.

Projects

Publications

How You Can Help

Take Action

Join us to make change. Speak up for species and places through WWF's Action Center.

Adopt an Animal

Make a symbolic animal adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF's conservation efforts.

Related Species