Tuna: Skipjack

Aku, Aku jerky, Canned light tuna, Arctic bonito, mushmouth,
ocean bonito, skipjack, skippy, striped bonito, striped tuna, victor fish, watermelon, tonno

Katsuo, Bonito

Skipjack range throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans, and are the most commonly caught tuna. Skipjack matures at an early age, making it more resilient to fishing than most other tuna species. Skipjack is caught with troll, pole-and-line, purse seine, and longline gear. Troll/pole and handline caught tuna are the most sustainable options. The bycatch associated with purse seines can be considerable, especially when “fish aggregating devices” (FADs) are used. Bycatch can include young tunas such as bigeye and yellowfin, other fishes, and sharks. Longlines can also catch sea turtles, sharks and seabirds.

Since there are no international laws to reduce bycatch, longline fleets are contributing heavily to the long-term decline of some of these species.

Their wide distribution, rapid sexual maturity, relatively long life, widely-dispersed spawning grounds, and broadcast spawning, make skipjack tuna inherently resistant to fishing pressure.

The skipjack stock in the western and central Pacific, and eastern and western Atlantic are considered to be healthy. A standardized, robust stock assessment has not been conducted for the eastern Pacific and Indian Ocean stocks. The status of the Atlantic stock is poor because overfishing is likely occurring and long-term abundance trends have been declining since the late 1960s.

In the North Pacific, high numbers of endangered sea turtles and seabirds are caught as bycatch. No measures have yet been taken in international waters.

Pelagic longlining has no contact with benthic habitats. The ecosystem effects of removing large predators such as tunas, billfishes, and sharks remain controversial.

There is no comprehensive observer program for the international pelagic longline fleets, although many countries are actively conducting research regarding bycatch mitigation. There is also no comprehensive international enforcement program.

What kind of tuna is this?

Where was it caught?

How was it caught?

Moderate mercury advisory + Adults can safely eat more than 4 meals per month + Kids up to age 6 should eat no more than 3 meals per month + Kids age 6-12 should eat no more than 4+ meals per month

No.