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Name: |
Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) |
Family: |
Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos) , subfamily: Thunninae |
Order: |
Perciformes (perch-likes) |
Class: |
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) |
Alternative Name: |
Southern bluefin tuna |
Max size: |
245 cm FL (male/unsexed; Ref. 5203); max. published weight: 260.0 kg (Ref. 5203); max. reported age: 20 years |
Environment: |
Pelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine; depth range - 50 m |
Climate: |
Temperate; 5 - 20°C; 10°S - 60°S |
Importance: |
Fisheries: commercial; Aquaculture: commercial; Gamefish: yes |
Resilience: |
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.14-0.15; tm=8-9; tmax=20; Fec=14 million) |
Distribution: |
Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: temperate and cold seas, mainly between 30°S and 50°S, to nearly 60°S. During spawning, large fish migrate to tropical seas, off the west coast of Australia, up to 10°S. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139). If the current exploitation continues, the population will be below 500 mature individuals in 100 years (Ref. 27905). |
Diagnosis: |
Vertebrae: 39. A very large species, deepest near the middle of the first dorsal fin base. Swim bladder present. Lower sides and belly silvery white with colorless transverse lines alternating with rows of colorless dots. The first dorsal fin is yellow or bluish; the anal fin and finlets are dusky yellow edged with black; the median caudal keel is yellow in adults. |