California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Home Marine Region What We Do CPS/HMS Project Tunas

Tunas

Yellowfin tuna. Photo courtesy NMFS Honolulu Lab.

Landings | Management and Regulations | Projects and Publications

Tuna are large fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. They are fast swimmers, with some species capable of swimming 43 miles per hour or more. Almost everything about tunas is designed for speed. The muscle tissue of tuna is pink to dark red because it contains myoglobin, an oxygen-binding molecule, in far greater quantities than most other fishes. Some larger tuna species, such as bluefin tuna, display warm-blooded adaptations such as the ability to raise their body temperature above water temperature by means of muscular activity. This enables them to survive in cooler waters and inhabit a wider range of ocean environments than other types of fish. Tuna are targeted for recreational and commercial purposes.

For additional life history information, click on one of the tuna species below:

Landings

Management and Regulations

Projects and Publications