Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is one of the largest, fastest, and most gorgeously colored of all the
worlds fishes. Their torpedo-shaped, streamlined bodies are built for speed and endurance.
Their coloringmetallic blue on top and shimmering silver-white on the bottomhelps
camouflage them from above and below. And their voracious appetite and varied diet pushes
their average size to a whopping 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length and 550 pounds (250 kilograms),
although much larger specimens are not uncommon.
Unfortunately for the species however, bluefin meat also happens to be regarded as
surpassingly delicious, particularly among sashimi eaters, and overfishing throughout their
range has driven their numbers to critically low levels.
Atlantic bluefins are warm-blooded, a rare trait among fish, and are comfortable in the cold
waters off Newfoundland and Iceland, as well as the tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico and
the Mediterranean Sea, where they go each year to spawn. They are among the most
ambitiously migratory of all fish, and some tagged specimens have been tracked swimming
from North American to European waters several times a year.
They are prized among sport fishers for their fight and speed, shooting through the water with
their powerful, crescent-shaped tails up to 43 miles (70 kilometers) per hour. They can retract
their dorsal and pectoral fins into slots to reduce drag. And some scientists think the series of
finlets on their tails may even serve to reduce water turbulence.
Bluefins attain their enormous size by gorging themselves almost constantly on smaller fish,
crustaceans, squid, and eels. They will also filter-feed on zooplankton and other small
organisms and have even been observed eating kelp. The largest tuna ever recorded was an
Atlantic bluefin caught off Nova Scotia that weighed 1,496 pounds (679 kilograms).
Bluefin tuna have been eaten by humans for centuries. However, in the 1970s, demand and
prices for large bluefins soared worldwide, particularly in Japan, and commercial fishing
operations found new ways to find and catch these sleek giants. As a result, bluefin stocks,
especially of large, breeding-age fish, have plummeted, and international conservation efforts
have led to curbs on commercial takes. Nevertheless, at least one group says illegal fishing in
Europe has pushed the Atlantic bluefin populations there to the brink of extinction.

Fast Facts
Type:
Fish
Diet:
Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:

15 years

Size:
6.5 ft (2 m)
Weight:
550 lbs (250 kg)
Group name:
School
Protection status:
Endangered
Did you know?
In January 2012, a prime, 593-lb (269-kg) bluefin tuna sold in a Japanese fish market for
$736,000 (56.49 million), a world record.