Skipjack Tuna | Species

Tuna
Skipjack Tuna

Tuna
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.

Places
The Galápagos, Coral Triangle, Gulf of California, Coastal East Africa
Habitats
Ocean Habitat

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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

Improving management in eastern Pacific tuna fisheries

Management strategy evaluation (MSE) is a process that allows stakeholders to assess how effective different management strategies can be. WWF convened workshops on MSE in five tuna fishing nations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Ecuador, Panama, the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.