ABSTRACT
There are eight tuna species in the genus Thunnus: albacore (T. alalunga), bigeye tuna (T. obesus), Atlantic bluefi n tuna (T. thynnus), Pacifi c bluefi n tuna (T. orientalis), southern bluefi n tuna (T. maccoyii), yellowfi n tuna (T. albacares), longtail tuna (T. tonggol), and blackfi n tuna (T. atlanticus). Of these, albacore, bigeye tuna, Atlantic bluefi n tuna, Pacifi c bluefi n tuna, southern bluefi n tuna, and yellowfi n tuna are the most economically important species and are referred to as the principal market tunas because of their global economic importance and intensive international trade for canning and sashimi (Majkowski 2007).
