Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis)

Species facts

Scientific name

Thunnus orientalis

Family

Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos)

Order

Perciformes (Perch-like fish)

Class

Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)

Maximum length

300

Common length

200

Depth range

1–200 m (3–656 ft)

Environment

Marine; brackish; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 1 - 200 m

Climate

Subtropical

Distribution

North Pacific: Gulf of Alaska to southern California and Baja California and from Sakhalin Island in the southern Sea of Okhotsk south to northern Philippines. There are four substantiated records of this subspecies in the southern hemisphere: off Western Australia, southeast Pacific (37?11'S, 114?41'W) and Gulf of Papua. The species occurs mainly in the northern Pacific but ventures into New Zealand waters for at least three months during spring and early summer.

Conservation status (IUCN)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes

Resilience

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=3-5; tmax=15; K=0.1-0.2)