|
Name: |
Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) |
Family: |
Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos) |
Order: |
Perciformes (perch-likes) |
Class: |
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) |
Alternative Name: |
Skipjack Tuna |
Max size: |
108 cm FL (male/unsexed; Ref. 168); max. published weight: 34.5 kg (Ref. 168); max. reported age: 12 years |
Environment: |
Pelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine ; depth range 0 - 260 m |
Climate: |
Tropical; 15 - 30°C; 58°N - 47°S, 180°W - 180°E |
Importance: |
Fisheries: highly commercial; Gamefish: yes |
Resilience: |
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.3-0.5; tm=2-3; tmax=12; Fec=80,000) |
Distribution: |
Cosmopolitan in tropical and warm-temperate waters. Not found in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Ref. 28950) and the Black Sea. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139). |
Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 14-16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14-15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 14-15; Vertebrae: 41. Interpelvic process small and bifid. Body without scales except for the corselet and the lateral line. Swim bladder absent. The back is dark purplish blue, lower sides and belly silvery, with 4 to 6 very conspicuous longitudinal dark bands which in live specimens may appear as continuous lines of dark blotches. |