In: FAO Species Catalogue, Vol. 2. Scombrids of the World (1983). Courtesy of Fisheries and Aquaculture Department/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
For many years, bluefin tunas around the Northern Hemisphere were considered to be the same, or one subspecies. They were only recently divided as a result of the scientific agreement that Atlantic bluefin and Pacific bluefin (Thunnus orientalis) are separate species.
The Atlantic bluefin is the largest of the tuna species. It can reach 3 meters in length (or nearly 10 feet), although the common size ranges between 80 and 200 cm. Two stocks are assessed and considered in development of fishery management by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT): Western Atlantic Ocean, and Eastern and Mediterranean stocks.
The Atlantic bluefin tolerates a wide range of temperatures. It lives in subtropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black seas, although sightings in the Black Sea are now rare. They are highly migratory and tend to form schools by size. Sometimes bluefin can be seen together with other tuna species like albacore, yellowfin, bigeye, and skipjack.
Size (cm) | Weight (kg) | Age (yrs) | |
---|---|---|---|
Common | 80–200 | 145–300 | 25+ |
Maximum | 458 | 679 | 35 |
Maturity | 110–190 | 30–120 | 4–14 |
The following Atlantic bluefin stocks are managed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) RFMO:
Our Status of the Stocks report summarizes the status of bluefin tuna worldwide according to the most recent scientific assessments. The report includes:
It also reviews the management measures for bluefin that Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) have adopted.
Use our interactive data-visualization tool to create and then download or share graphics on tuna stock status.
You can visualize data on 23 commercial tuna stocks (by species and ocean area) share of total catch and trends in stock health.
Our research and advocacy work aims to ensure, on a global level, that tuna resources are well managed and protected from overfishing.
An ISSF report uses the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) scoring system to evaluate both the health and RFMO management of 23 tuna stocks worldwide, including bluefin.
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