Northern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)

Order: Perciformes   |   Family: Scombridae   |    Genus: Thunnus   |   Species: thynnus

At Chubby Fish, the mainstay of our business is bluefin tuna. The meat of the bluefin is dark red in color and has the highest fat content of any tuna in the sea. As a general rule, the higher the fat content in a specific fish, the higher the quality of the meat will be for sushi or sashimi.

The skin of the bluefin tuna is dark blue with a metallic sheen on its back and sides and silvery gray on its lower sides and belly. The species is native to the Atlantic Ocean and is also found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Bluefin tuna are migratory; in the western Atlantic they can be found as far north as Labrador and as far south as northern Brazil, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico. In the eastern Atlantic, they are found in the waters around Iceland and as far south as the Canary Islands.

 

The northern bluefin tuna is composed of two distinct populations that do not interbreed, each returns to its ancestral waters in order to reproduce. The western Atlantic bluefin spawns in the Gulf of Mexico, whereas the eastern variety returns to spawn in the Mediterranean Sea.

Bluefin can live for 30 years, but their average life expectancy is around 15 years. They can reach a maximum length of 4.3 meters (14 feet). Bluefin tuna can swim at speeds of up to 45 mph; studies of tagged fish have shown that bluefin can cross the Atlantic in less than 60 days. The largest recorded specimen was caught off Nova Scotia and weighed in at 680 kg (1,496 lbs).