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Common name - Yellowfin tuna
Scientific name - Thunnus albacares
Average rating
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Visit Fishonline for the full range of options available for this species.
Consumer Information
For the most sustainable tuna choose skipjack, yellowfin or albacore tuna from pole & line or troll-caught fisheries and look for the MSC logo and ?dolphin safe' tuna. Many tuna fisheries from the Indian Ocean (except albacore) are in a healthy state and being fished sustainably. Tuna belong to the Scombridae family and are related to mackerel. They are large, oceanic fish and are seasonally migratory, some making trans-oceanic journeys. Tuna is highly sought after and forms the basis of many world-wide fisheries. Consequently, all 7 commercially fished species are under pressure. Of most concern though are the slower growing and generally decreasing stocks of northern (Atlantic) bluefin, southern bluefin, and bigeye tunas. Southern bluefin is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN); northern (Atlantic) bluefin listed as Endangered; and bigeye as Vulnerable. For detailed information on specific regions and fish stocks, please see our FishOnline site.
Summary
Yellowfin tuna is a valuable species often substituted for bluefin in restaurants, sold as steaks in supermarkets, and canned. The species is moderately vulnerable to fishing yet most stocks are in a reasonably healthy state as a result of improved management in recent years. The best choices for yellowfin tuna are pole & line caught or non-FAD associated purse seine fisheries. Longline fisheries and FAD (Fish Aggregation Device) associated purse seine fisheries have significant impacts on threatened, endangered and protected species such as marine turtles, sharks and seabirds (See fishing methods for details). Yellowfin from Eastern Pacific, Western and Central Pacific and Indian Oceans (including the Maldives) are in particularly good shape and have MSC certified fisheries.
Alternatives
(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)
Visit Fishonline, the website for the seafood industry, for more detailed information about this species.