Yellowfin Tuna
Facts
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NT
Status
Near Threatened
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Scientific Name
Thunnus albacares
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Weight
up to 450 pounds
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Length
up to 7 feet
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Habitats
Oceans
Yellowfin tuna are torpedo-shaped with dark metallic blue backs, yellow sides, and a silver belly. They have very long anal and dorsal fins and finlets that are bright yellow. Yellowfin can live up to six or seven years. They are highly migratory and are found throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. They form schools with other tunas like skipjack and bigeye, and are also known to associate with dolphins. Yellowfin are able to breed year-round.
- Places
- Habitats
A better way to fish for yellowfin tuna in the Philippines

Why They Matter
Threats
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Extinction Risk Near Threatened
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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

Here a leatherback turtle was accidentally caught by a tuna fishery. Like turtles, tuna are affected by bycatch too.
Bycatch
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.
Overfishing
According to information collected by the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee, the Eastern Pacific stock of yellowfin is overfished and some overfishing is occurring in the Indian Ocean.
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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Skipjack 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