How fast do yellowfin tuna swim

Article Google Scholar 3 Walters, V. Article Google Scholar Download references. View author publications. Rights and permissions Reprints and Permissions. Copy to clipboard. Sepulveda , Scott A. Jones Environmental Biology of Fishes Thermal dependence of contractile properties of single skinned muscle fibres from Antarctic and various warm water marine fishes including Skipjack Tuna Katsuwonus pelamis and Kawakawa Euthynnus affinis Ian A.

Videler Nature Comments By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. Search Search articles by subject, keyword or author. Show results from All journals This journal. Yellowfin tuna make both seasonal and daily migrations. In the Pacific Ocean, they are often found on the edges of island coral reefs during the day.

Each night, they travel up to 9 miles offshore to feed and then return to the exact same spot the next day. Tagging studies on tunas in the open sea show similar behavior. A tuna will hang around a floating log or other debris during the day, travel long distances at night, and return to the exact same log the next day. All species of tuna share some interesting biological characteristics.

This is a huge advantage. For most cold-blooded fish, the colder the water and therefore their body is, the slower and more sluggish they are. This allows them to swim faster and have increased endurance. This adaptation provides them with a major advantage when hunting in cold water, by allowing them to move more quickly and intelligently.

The yellowfin tuna is one of the fastest swimmers in the ocean. Like some shark species, yellowfin tunas must constantly swim. In order to obtain oxygen from the water, fishes pass water over their gills. The tunas lack the ability to do so while stopped, so they must continuously swim forward with their mouths open to keep their blood oxygenated. The yellowfin tuna is a highly prized food fish and is fished heavily throughout its range.

Generally, scientists believe that these fisheries are managed fairly well, and the species is not considered overfished. However, there are some populations that are fished more heavily than others, and it is important to continue to monitor these activities in order to prevent fishing levels that could threaten this iconic, powerful species. In the s, fisheries that targeted the yellowfin tuna were responsible for accidentally catching and killing several million spotted and spinner dolphins and sparked the famous and successful dolphin-safe tuna campaign.

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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph. Yellowfin Tuna Facts Thunnus albacares. Harp Seal Facts Pagophilus groenlandicus.