Yellow fin Tuna

Epipelagic, oceanic, above and below the thermocline. The thermal boundaries of occurrence are roughly 18° and 31°C. Vertical distribution appears to be influenced by the thermal structure of the water column, as is shown by the close correlation between the vulnerability of the fish to purse seine capture, the depth of the mixed layer, and the strength of the temperature gradient within the thermocline. Yellowfin tuna are essentially confined to the upper 100 m of the water column in areas with marked oxyclines, since oxygen concentrations less than 2 ml/l encountered below the thermocline and strong thermocline gradients tend to exclude their presence in waters below the discontinuity layer. Larval distribution in equatorial waters is transoceanic the year round, but there are seasonal changes in larval density in subtropical waters. It is believed that the larvae occur exclusively in the warm water sphere, that is, above the thermocline. Schooling occurs more commonly in near-surface waters, primarily by size, either in monospecific or multispecies groups. In some areas, i.e. eastern Pacific, larger fish (greater than 85 cm fork length) frequently school with porpoises. Association with floating debris and other objects is also observed. Although the distribution of yellowfin tuna in the Pacific is nearly continuous, lack of evidence for long-ranging east-west or north-south migrations of adults suggests that there may not be much exchange between the yellowfin tuna from the eastern and the central Pacific, nor between those from the western and the central Pacific. This hints at the existence of subpopulations. Spawning occurs throughout the year in the core areas of distribution, but peaks are always observed in the northern and southern summer months respectively. Joseph (1968) gives a relationship between size and fecundity of yellowfin tuna in the eastern Pacific.

Local Names

ARGENTINA : Aleta amarilla.
AUSTRALIA : Yellowfinned albacore.
BRAZIL : Albacora de lage.
CUBA : Atun de aleta amarilla.
FRANCE : Thon a nageoires jaunes.
GERMANY : Gelbflossenthun.
GREECE : Tonnos macropteros.
INDIA : Howalla, Kelawalla (Sinhalese) .
ITALY : Tonne albacora.
JAPAN : Hatsu, Kihada, Kimeji (young) , Kiwada.
MALTA : Tonn.
MARTINIQUE : Albacore, Z'aile jaune.
NETHERLANDS : Geelvintonijn.
NORWAY : Albakor.
PACIFIC ISLANDS TRUST TERRITORIES : Palau: Tkuu.
PHILIPPINES : Albaeora, Badla-an, Buys, Tambakol.
POLAND : Albakora.
PORTUGAL : Atum albacora, Atum rabil, Peixinho da ilho.
ROMANIA : Albacora, Ton galben.
SENEGAL : Albacore, Doullou-doullou (Ouoloff) , Thon a nageoires jaunes, Wakhandor (Lebou) .
SOUTH AFRICA : Geelvin-tuna, Yellowfin tuna.
SPAIN : Rabil.
SWEDEN : Albacora.
UK : Yellowfin tuna.
URUGUAY : Aleta amarilla.
USA : Yellowfin tuna, Hawaii: 'Ahi, Hawaii: Kahauli, Hawaii: Kanana, Hawaii: Maha'o, Hawaii: Palaha.
former USSR : Albacor, Tikhookeanskij zheltoperyj tunets, Zheltoperyj tunets, Zheltokhvostyj tunets.
VENEZUELA : Atun aleta amarilla.
VIET NAM : Ca bo Vang.
YUGOSLAVIA : Tuna zutoperka