You may know some of them, and you may eat some of them every day. Others you may never have heard before, but now you’ll be able to recognize it on the menu and try something new. We’ve put together a short guide with four different species of tuna. If you’re a tuna lover, check out this out! Read on and learn more about these 4 types of Tuna: Yellowfin Tuna, Ahi or BigEye Tuna, Skipjack Tuna, and Albacore.
Yellowfin Tuna
Origination: Eastern and Western Pacific Ocean
Major Markets: Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Japan, China, Philippines, Southern Europe, U.S.
Product/preparation: Canned, fresh whole fish fillets, raw and pre-cooked frozen steak loins.
The Yellowfin Tuna is metallic dark blue, silver on the belly with yellow details from which the they get their name. They’re built for speed and endurance. They are a mid-sized tuna, not too big or too small. The Yellowfin Tuna grows quick, with a lifespan of only six or seven years. Female Yellowfin Tuna are known to spawn quickly, and start reproducing at the age of two. They’re a very common type of Tuna.
Ahi Tuna or BigEye Tuna
Origination: Hawaii
Major Markets: Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, Italy, Japan
Product/preparation: Whole fish fillets, poke salad (fish salad), never canned
Ahi or Big Eye Tuna is known for being able to dive deep into the depths of the ocean, deeper than most other tuna. They can go down as low as 250 meters deep, which is deep for a tuna fish. The BigEye Tuna resides mostly in warm, tropical waters. They’re smaller than Bluefin tuna but larger than Yellowfin Tuna. The big-eye tuna has a lifespan of up to 12 years, and start spawning at the age of 4.
Skipjack Tuna
Origination: Western Pacific Ocean
Major Markets: Spain, Thailand, Philippines, Europe, U.S.
Product/preparation: Canned 90% of the time, other times pouched
The skipjack Tuna occupies surface waters in tropical regions. Skipjack is the most popular type of tuna fished, and is extremely important to fishing industries. The growth of Skipjack is considered sustainable considering the rate of consumption is high.
Albacore (White Albacore)
Origination: Northern Pacific and Southern Pacific Oceans
Major Markets: U.S., Thailand, Spain, Indonesia, Japan
Product/preparation: Canned (white tuna) fresh or frozen
White Albacore is one of the most preferred types of tuna. People enjoy it canned to make tuna sandwiches and salads, but it’s good fresh or frozen. Canned white albacore tuna has great health benefits.
For over 65 years, the Zaffiro family of Channel Fish Processing (CFP) has provided the freshest, highest quality North Atlantic fish to wholesalers everywhere. Over the years, Channel Fish has grown and developed from a processor of Cod and Haddock into a family-run company that conducts business globally and provides a wide variety of fresh and frozen seafood products.
To learn more about our offerings and different types of fish species, visit our website at https://www.channelfish.com.
