Yellowfin Tuna

Description:

This is an impressive fish, they are very fast and big. This guy was nearly 2 meters. When they are in hunting mode as in this picture, the dorsal and anal fins are flared up. The yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. The yellowfin tuna is among the larger tuna species, reaching weights of over 180 kg (400 lb), but is significantly smaller than the Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tunas, which can reach over 450 kg (990 lb), and slightly smaller than the bigeye tuna and the southern bluefin tuna. The second dorsal fin and the anal fin, as well as the finlets between those fins and the tail, are bright yellow, giving this fish its common name. The second dorsal and anal fins can be very long in mature specimens, reaching almost as far back as the tail and giving the appearance of sickles or scimitars. The pectoral fins are also longer than the related bluefin tuna, but not as long as those of the albacore. The main body is a very dark metallic blue, changing to silver on the belly, which has about 20 vertical lines. Reported sizes in the literature have ranged as high as 2.4 m (94 in) in length and 200 kg (440 lb) in weight

Habitat:

Yellowfin tuna are epipelagic fish that inhabit the mixed surface layer of the ocean above the thermocline. Sonic tracking has found that although yellowfin tuna, unlike the related bigeye tuna, mostly range in the top 100 m (330 ft) of the water column and penetrate the thermocline relatively infrequently, they are capable of diving to considerable depths. An individual tagged in the Indian Ocean with an archival tag spent 85% of its time in depths shallower than 75 m (246 ft) but was recorded as having made three dives to 578 m, 982 m and 1,160 m (3,810 ft).

Notes:

This spotting was in Pescador Island, Moal-Boal, Cebu. At that time, there was a massive shoal of Sardines by the millions. We went there to enjoy the Sardines and was not expecting to see this Yellow Fin Tunas as they are not common there. Dog Tooth Tunas are more common but smaller. During this dive, there were a small school of this Yellow Fins Tunas, hunting among the Sardine. The dark shadow on the right of the picture is actually the shoal of Sardines, they are packed tightly together as the Tunas surrounds them and then go for the kill. Amazing encounters during this dive.