Tuna
A tuna (pl.: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera,[2] the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: 50 cm or 1.6 ft, weight: 1.8 kg or 4 lb) up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna (max length: 4.6 m or 15 ft, weight: 684 kg or 1,508 lb), which averages 2 m (6.6 ft) and is believed to live up to 50 years.
For other uses, see Tuna (disambiguation).
Tuna, opah and mackerel sharks are the only species of fish that can maintain a body temperature higher than that of the surrounding water. An active and agile predator, the tuna has a sleek, streamlined body, and is among the fastest-swimming pelagic fish – the yellowfin tuna, for example, is capable of speeds of up to 75 km/h (47 mph).[3][4] Greatly inflated speeds can be found in early scientific reports and are still widely reported in the popular literature.[4]
Found in warm seas, the tuna is commercially fished extensively as a food fish, and is popular as a bluewater game fish. As a result of overfishing, some tuna species, such as the southern bluefin tuna, are threatened with extinction.[5]
Etymology
The term "tuna" comes from Spanish atún < Andalusian Arabic at-tūn, assimilated from al-tūn التون [Modern Arabic التن] : 'tuna fish' < Middle Latin thunnus.[6] Thunnus is derived from Ancient Greek: θύννος, romanized: thýnnos used for the Atlantic bluefin tuna,[7] that name in turn is ultimately derived from θύνω thýnō, meaning "to rush, dart along".[8][9]
In English, tuna has been referred to as Chicken of the Sea. This name persists today in Japan, where tuna as a food can be called シーチキン (shi-chikin), literally "sea chicken".
Tuna being weighed on Greek quay-side
Tuna cut in half for processing at Tsukuji fish market
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
830 kJ (200 kcal)
Quantity
Quantity
Quantity
60 g
