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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Little tunny
Euthynnus alletteratus
Καρβούνι – Ντάσκα

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

–

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

42 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

April – May

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation does not establish a legal minimum size and no closed season for this species, leaving both juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected. Respect minimum sustainable size limits and avoid consuming it during its breeding season.

Choose sustainable seafood!

Archipelagos Tips

A more sustainable alternative to bluefin tuna and a better choice for public health, as it accumulates significantly lower concentrations of heavy metals, including mercury.

Common names

FR

Thonine

it

Tonnetto

es

Bacoreta

tr

Yazılı orkinoz

pt

Bonito

nl

Dwergtonijn

de

Falscher bonito

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

The first spines of the dorsal fin are much taller than the spines in the middle. This gives the fin a strongly curved, inward-sloping shape. Most of the body has no scales, except for a small area near the front of the body and along the lateral line. The fish has no swim bladder. The back has broken, slanted stripes that are dark, and there are 3–7 dark spots between the pelvic fins and the pectoral fins.

It looks like Katsuwonus pelamis (Skipjack Tuna). While similar in overall shape, Skipjack tuna lacks the dark spots found on little tunny.

Did you know?

The eggs of the little tunny contain one droplet of oil to aid their buoyancy!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
It is an opportunistic predator which feeds on virtually everything within its range, i.e. crustaceans, fishes (mainly clupeoid), squids, heteropods and tunicates.

habitat

Found in shallow waters close inshore.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 122 cm
Max weight: 16.5 g
Depth range: 0-150 m

breeding & Growth

In the Mediterranean Sea the spawning typically lasts from May through September, with the most intensive reproductive activity taking place in July and August.
Growth rate: Moderate (k = 0.37yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 8-10 years
Max reported age: 10 years
Distribution: In tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

appearance changes

Juveniles transform in shape, and adults undergo temporary, dynamic shifts in body coloration based on their stress levels, excitement, or feeding behaviour.

Reproductive Cycle

A female produces between 70,000 and 2.2 million eggs per season, varying based on the female’s body size. They are serial “multiple spawners” that release these eggs in numerous intermittent clutches (batches) over a single prolonged spawning season each year.
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If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms