Species profile
Skipjack Tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis
At a glance
Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) is an IUCN Least Concern bony-fish species regulated in 6 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 2 (Washington); the most generous is 100 (Tennessee).
Confirmed by 28 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Hawaii, Florida, and Alaska the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Skipjack is the world's most commercially harvested tuna species and the primary fish in most canned tuna products.
- Schools in enormous open-ocean aggregations of thousands of individuals, often mixed with other tuna species.
- Like all tunas, it is endothermic and maintains body temperatures above the ambient seawater.
- Can reach about 1 meter in length, though most adults weigh under 10 kilograms.
- Found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide and rarely ventures into cold water.
Where Skipjack Tuna are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Skipjack Tuna
Background
The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish. It grows up to 1 m (3 ft) in length. It is a cosmopolitan pelagic fish found in tropical and warm-temperate waters. It is a very important species for fisheries.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Skipjack Tuna article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other bony fish on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.