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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.

Skipjack tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis
Τουοπαλαμίδα – Τουάκι

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

41 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

June – September

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation does not establish legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected.

Choose responsibly by respecting sustainable size limits and avoiding consumption during the breeding season.

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

Bonite à ventre rayé

it

Tonnetto striato

es

Listado

tr

çizgili orkinos

pt

Gaiado

nl

Gestreepte tonijn

de

Echter Bonito

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Body elongate and almost scaleless except along the lateral line. Dark purplish-blue back with silvery sides and belly, marked by 4–6 dark longitudinal stripes or blotches. Tail base with prominent keels on each side.

It looks like Euthynnus alletteratus (Little tunny). This species can be distinguished from Sarda sarda (Atlantic bonito) by lacking the characteristic slanted, zebra-like stripes, and from Auxis rochei (Bullet tuna) by its less distinct corselet around the shoulder. Unlike Euthynnus alletteratus, it has 4–6 dark longitudinal stripes or blotches along the lower sides and belly rather than pronounced wavy dorsal markings.

Did you know?

The skipjack tuna lacks a swim bladder, which means it must swim continuously to avoid sinking!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Preys on large pelagic fishes such as herrings, sardines and mackerel.

habitat

Pelagic.
Occurs in offshore waters.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 110 cm
Max weigth: 34.5 kg
Depth range: 0-260 m

breeding & Growth

Gonochoristic (separate sexes) and Batch spawner (females do not release all eggs at once, they portion out hundreds of thousands to millions of eggs across multiple spawnings).
Spawns year-round in warm tropical waters, but shows distinct seasonal peaks in subtropical zones.
Growth rate: Fast (k= 0.41yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 7 – 12 years Max reported Age: 12 years Distribution: Highly migratory species. It lives in major oceans including the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Oceans and present in the Mediterreanean Sea in the warmest part.

appearance changes

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Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 615,000 eggs
Reproductive frequency: In tropical and subtropical regions, mature females are capable of spawning nearly every 1.8 to 2 days.
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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