Skipjack Tuna
Facts
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LC
Status
Least Concern
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Scientific Name
Katsuwonus pelamis
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Weight
40 pounds
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Length
up to 3 feet
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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
- Habitats
Where did your can of tuna come from?

Why They Matter
Threats
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Extinction Risk Least Concern
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EX
Extinct
No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died
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EW
Extinct in the Wild
Known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population
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CR
Critically Endangered
Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the Wild
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EN
Endangered
Facing a high risk of extinction in the Wild
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VU
Vulnerable
Facing a high risk of extinction in the Wild
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NT
Near Threatened
Likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future
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LC
Least Concern
Does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Near Threatened
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EX
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
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Accelerating Tuna Sustainability through the Global FIP Alliance for Sustainable Tuna (G-FAST)
Tuna are among the world’s more commercially valuable fish; strong global demand and excess of fishing fleets will likely cause stocks to decline if management strategies are not improved.
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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.
Related Species
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Albacore Tuna
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Bigeye Tuna
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Bluefin Tuna
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Yellowfin Tuna
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Sea Turtle
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Vaquita
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Whale Shark
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Dugong
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Humphead Wrasse
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Pacific Salmon
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Dolphins and Porpoises
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Whale
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Seals
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Sea Lions
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Marine Iguana
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Tuna
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Sei Whale
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Hawksbill Turtle
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Great White Shark
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Loggerhead Turtle
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Leatherback Turtle
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Green Turtle
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Olive Ridley Turtle
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North Atlantic Right Whale
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Blue Whale
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Fin Whale
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Bowhead Whale
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Gray Whale
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Hector's Dolphin
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Galápagos Penguin
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Shark
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Polar Bear
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Narwhal
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Beluga
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Giant Tortoise
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African Wild Dog
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African Elephant
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Black Rhino
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White Rhino
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Rhino