Skipjack tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis
Valid name.
- English
- Skipjack tuna
- Scientific
- Katsuwonus pelamis
- Dhivehi
- ކަޅުބިލަ މަސްKalhubilamas
- Maximum size
- Commonly to 70 cm; maximum about 1.1 m and 34 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Open ocean surface waters, 0 to about 260 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2021
Description
A small, fast tuna, dark purplish-blue on the back with silvery sides and four to six dark stripes running along the belly. It forms huge schools in surface waters, often with juvenile yellowfin tuna, and feeds on small fish, squid and crustaceans. It grows quickly, matures early and spawns year-round in the tropics, which makes it relatively resilient to fishing. It is the most heavily caught tuna in the world.
In the Maldives
The backbone of the Maldivian economy and diet: MRS 1997 calls it the most commercially important species in the Maldives. Caught by the traditional one-by-one pole-and-line fishery using live bait; the fishery was first certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in 2012. Processed into 'Maldive fish' (dried, smoked skipjack).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Katsuwonus-pelamis.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=107&GenusName=Katsuwonus&SpeciesName=
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ކަޅުބިލަ_މަސް
- en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Maldives_fish
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Katsuwonus_pelamis_Thailand.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives, Marine Research Section, Malé (FAO/BOBP MAG/21); Thaana from Dhivehi Wikipedia (fish articles derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition). FishBase also lists 'Godhaa' and 'Kadumas' for the Maldives.