The Skipjack Tuna is one of the most significant commercial fish globally and belongs to the Scombridae family. It is the species that provides the raw material for the majority of canned tuna on the market. The body is robust and spindle-shaped, with no scales except for the chest area and the lateral line. The back colour is dark blue-purple, while the sides and belly are silver.

Its most characteristic feature, which distinguishes it from its relatives, is its stripes. The fish has 4 to 6 bold dark horizontal stripes exclusively on its belly and lower sides. This is the opposite of the Atlantic Bonito, which has oblique stripes on its back, and the Little Tunny, which has spots on its belly and patterns on its back.

This is a cosmopolitan epipelagic species that lives in tropical and temperate waters worldwide, including the Mediterranean. It prefers warm waters with temperatures above 15 degrees Celsius and lives in the open sea far from the coast. It forms massive schools that often number tens of thousands of individuals, and it tends to swim near the surface, often following floating objects and whales.

Fisheries & Economic Value

The species has enormous commercial value and is among the main catches worldwide. It is caught industrially using purse seines and pole-and-line techniques. The meat is darker and has a stronger flavour than that of the Yellowfin or the Albacore, but it is very popular canned, smoked, or dried, such as the Japanese katsuobushi.