Yellowfin Tuna

50-400 lbs. May run anywhere from a few pounds to more than 200 pounds. Maximum close to 400. World record 388 pounds, 12 ounces;

Allison Tuna, Ahi, Gelbflossenthun (German), Tonno Albacora (Italian), Rabil (Spanish), Kihada (Japanese)

The open seas, but frequently near drop-offs. Yellowfin tuna are found near the surface of tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. They are highly migratory and can swim across an entire ocean. Juvenile yellowfin tuna travel in schools with skipjack and juvenile bigeye tuna. An oceanic species occurring above and below the thermoclines. Pelagic in open water , but rarely seen near reefs. They school primarily by size, either in monospecific or multi-species groups. Larger fish frequently school with porpoises, also associated with floating debris and other objects. Feed on fishes, crustaceans and squids. It is sensitive to low concentrations of oxygen and therefore is not usually caught below 250 m in the tropics. Peak spawning occurs during the summer, in batches. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Encircling nets are employed to catch schools near the surface

Distinguishing the Yellowfin Tuna from the Blackfin or Bigeye is sometimes difficult as many visual features are similar. Finlets of the Yellowfin are yellow, trimmed in black. Gold stripe along side. Light underside usually shows spots and/or wavy lines. Second dorsal and anal fins of very large individuals are elongated and lunate - a feature not found on any other Tuna. Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-16; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 11 - 16; Vertebrae: 39. Fish with very long second dorsal fin and anal fin, which in some may reach well over 20% of the FL. The pectoral fin is moderately long, usually reaching beyond the second dorsal fin origin but not beyond the end of its base. Color is black metallic dark blue changing through yellow to silver on the belly. The belly frequently has about 20 broken, nearly vertical lines. The dorsal and anal fins and finlets are bright yellow.Yellowfin Tuna occur worldwide in deep, warm temperate oceanic waters. It is both pelagic and seasonally migratory, but has been known to come fairly close to shore. Yellowfin are a mid-sized tuna species and are distinguished, as their name suggests by their yellow fins. They are bigger than Albacore and skipjack but smaller than the famed bluefin. Yellowfin tuna grow fairly fast, up to 400 pounds, and have a somewhat short life span of about 7 years. Most yellowfin tuna are able to reproduce when they reach age 2 or 3. In the western Atlantic, they spawn from May to August in the Gulf of Mexico and from July to November in the southeastern Caribbean. In the eastern Atlantic Ocean, they spawn from October to March in the Gulf of Guinea and from April to June off Senegal. Females spawn about once every 3 days during the spawning season. They produce an average of 1 million to 4 million eggs each time they spawn. Yellowfin tuna feed near the top of the food chain on fish, squid, and crustaceans. They are also prey for top predators such as sharks and large fish. Yellowfin tuna are a torpedo-shaped fish. They’re metallic dark blue on the back and upper sides, and change from yellow to silver on the belly. True to their name, their dorsal and anal fins and finlets are bright yellow. Different species of tunas can be difficult to distinguish – they’re similar in shape and are often caught together. Yellowfin tuna can be distinguished from other tunas by its long, bright-yellow dorsal fin and a yellow strip down its side. It’s also more slender than bluefin tuna.

Spawn throughout the tropical and equatorial waters of the major oceans. At higher latitudes, spawning is seasonal, with peaks in summer; may continue throughout the year at lower latitudes. Yellowfin tuna are multiple spawners, ie they spawn every few days over the spawning period. Eggs and sperm are released into the water for fertilization.

Summary of Distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas, but absent from the Mediterranean Sea. Highly migratory species
Note: Distribution range colors indicate degree of suitability of habitat which can be interpreted as probabilities of occurrence (fishbase.org)

	Gill nets Gill-nets are the dominant gear in the Indian Ocean. Gill-nets are used in artisanal and semi-industrial fisheries, contributing to 30-40% of the total catch. The net design is comprised of continuous panels of uniform mesh size, aimed to trap fish behind the gills. The International Sustainable Seafood Foundation (ISSF) notes that rates of sharks and turtle by-catch in Indian Ocean gill-net fisheries are high..
	River Drift River Drift means to use the....
	Trawling Trawling is when....

	Pelagic Longline This fishery uses a longline to catch a variety of pelagic fish on the high seas such as tuna and swordfish. A deep-set longline is used to primarily target tuna and a shallow-set longline is used to target swordfish or mixed species including bigeye, Albacore and yellowfin tuna. Baited hooks are attached to a line that floats in the ocean using buoys and flagpoles.

Heavy outfits are indicated - 50- or 80-pound. But light and medium ocean outfits are often used. Most are probably caught trolling with offshore trolling lures or rigged baits, but in certain areas the best approach is to anchor on a reef near deep blue water and bring in the fish by chumming with Pilchards or similar small baitfish. In that situation they can also be hooked by casting artificial lures with spinning, baitcasting and fly tackle - and landed, if the size is right and luck is with the angler.

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