Major Tuna Species

In the Philippines

General Biology 2

Submitted by: Kent Andrew T. Malig-on

Submitted to: Ms. Jona Sayson
The yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is a species of tuna
found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans
worldwide. Yellowfin Tuna is often marketed as ahi,
from the Hawaiian ‘ahi, a name also used there for the
[3] closely related bigeye tuna. The species name,
albacares (“white meat”) can also lead to confusion: in
English, the albacore (Thunnus alalunga) is a different
species, while yellowfin is officially designated
albacore in French and referred to as Albacora by
Portuguese fishermen. It is also called Tambakol in the
Philippines.

Yellowfin tuna are epipelagic fish that inhabit the

mixed surface layer of the ocean above the
thermocline. Sonic tracking has found that although
yellowfin tuna, unlike the related bigeye tuna, mostly
range in the top 100 m (330 ft) of the water column,[6]
another study reported that depth tends to vary with
time of day: 90% of their recorded depth values were
shallower than 88 m (289 ft) during the night, and
shallower than 190 m (620 ft) during the day.[7]

The skipjack
tuna
(Katsuwonus pelamis) is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known
as the balaya (Sri Lanka), bakulan/kayu (North Borneo), tongkol/aya (Malay Peninsula/Indonesia), aku (Hawaii),
cakalang (Indonesia), katsuo, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna or victor fish. It grows up
to 1 m (3 ft) in length. It is a cosmopolitan pelagic fish found in tropical and warm-temperate waters. It is a
very important species for fisheries.[2]

Skipjack tuna are highly sensitive to environmental conditions and changes. Climate change effects are
significant in marine ecosystems, and ecological factors may change fish distribution and catchability.

Skipjack tuna have the highest percentage of skeletal muscle devoted to locomotion of all animals, with 68%
of the animal’s total body mass.

Skipjack tuna are also called barilis or talungoy in the

Philippines.
The bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) is a species of true
tuna of the genus Thunnus, belonging to the wider
mackerel family Scombridae. In Hawaiian, it is one of two
species known as 'ahi, the other being the yellowfin tuna.
[4] Bigeye tuna are found in the open waters of all
tropical and temperate oceans, but not in the
Mediterranean Sea.

Bigeye tuna can grow up to 2.5 m (98 in; 8.2 ft) in length.
Maximum weight of individuals probably exceeds 180 kg
(400 lb), with the all-tackle angling record standing at 178
kg (392 lb). They are large, deep-bodied, streamlined fish
with large heads and eyes. The pectoral fins are very long,
reaching back beyond the start of the second dorsal fin in
juveniles and the space between the first and second
dorsal fin in adults. They have 13 or 14 dorsal spines.
Euthynnus affinis, the mackerel tuna, little tuna,
wavyback skipjack tuna, kawakawa, or tongkol is a
species of ray-finned bony fish in the family
Scombridae, or mackerel family. It belongs to the
tribe Thunnini, better known as the tunas.[3] This is
an Indo-Pacific species which is found from the Red
Sea to French Polynesia.[1]
Mackerel tuna is a small tuna with a distinctive dark-
striped pattern on its back and 2-5 dark spots above
the ventral fin. It can be distinguished from similar
species with striped patterns by the spots and, in the
case of frigate mackerel, the lack of space between
the dorsal fins. The Mackerel Tuna is also called
Tulingan in the Philippines
The bullet tuna, (Auxis rochei), is a species of
tuna, in the family Scombridae, found
circumglobally in tropical oceans, including the
Mediterranean. [2] Sea,12 in open surface
waters to depths of 50 m (164 ft). The
population of bullet tuna in the western Pacific
was classified as a subspecies of A. rochei, A.
rochei eudorax, but some authorities regard
this as a valid species Auxis eudorax.[3] Its
maximum length is 50 centimetres (20 in).
Sometimes called bullet mackerel, the bullet
tuna is a comparatively small and slender
tuna. It has a triangular first dorsal fin, widely
separated from the second dorsal fin, which,
like the anal and pectoral fins, is relatively
small. There are the usual finlets of the tuna.
There is a small corselet of small scales around
the pectoral region of the body.
Bullet tunas are blue-black on the back with a
pattern of zig-zag dark markings on the upper
hind body, and silver below. The fins are dark
grey. They feed on small fish, squid, planktonic
crustaceans, and stomatopod larvae.
The frigate tuna, frigate mackerel or alagaduwa
(Auxis thazard) is a species of tuna, in the family
Scombridae, found around the world in tropical
oceans. The eastern Pacific population is now
regarded as a separate species by some authorities,
Auxis brachydorax.[3][4]

It is also called Tulingan in the Philippines.