Blackfin tuna

Blackfin tuna
File:Blackfin tuna, Duane Raver Jr.jpg
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Scombridae
Subfamily:	Scombrinae
Tribe:	Thunnini
Genus:	Thunnus
Subgenus:	Neothunnus
Species:	T. atlanticus
Binomial name
Thunnus atlanticus Lesson, 1831

Blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) is the smallest tuna species in the Thunnus genus, generally growing to a maximum of 100 cm (39 in) in length and weighing 21 kg (46 lbs).

Blackfin tuna have oval-shaped bodies, black backs with a slight yellow on the finlets, and yellow on the sides of their bodies. They are only found in the western Atlantic from Cape Cod to Brazil.

Blackfin tuna hunt both epipelagic (surface) and mesopelagic (deeper water) fish and squid. They also eat crustaceans such as shrimp, crabs, amphipods, stomatopods, and the larvae of decapods. They are a short-lived, fast-growing species; a 5-yr-old fish would be considered old. They reach sexual maturity at the age of two years, and spawn in the open sea during the summer. Blackfin tuna are a warmer-water fish, preferring water temperatures over 20 °C (68 °F). What they lack in size, they make up for in numbers and willingness to bite.

Sustainable consumption

In 2010, Greenpeace International did not add the blackfin tuna, unlike other tuna species, to its seafood red list.

External links

• Media related to Thunnus atlanticus at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Thunnus atlanticus at Wikispecies
• FishBase info for black tuna
• Blackfin Tuna Identification
• Encyclopedia of Life Info for Thunnus atlanticus