Tunas (family Scombridae) are among the largest, most specialized and commercially important of all fishes. They are found in temperate and tropical oceans around the world and account for a major proportion of the world fishery production. Tunas are unique among fishes because they possess body temperature several degrees higher than the ambient waters and have high metabolic rate that enables them to exhibit extraordinary growth rate. They have streamlined bodies and vary widely in size, colour and fin length.
Around 19% of the global tuna catches are from the Indian Ocean. The waters of Andaman Islands are known to have the world’s richest stocks of Tunas with 100,000 tonnes of Coastal Tunas and 82,000 tonnes of Oceanic Tunas available for exploitation. In Lakshadweep the stocks of Tunas are estimated to be around 50,000-90,000 tonnes, and Tunas contribute around 85% of the total marine fish landings in Lakshadweep Islands. Tunas commonly found in Indian waters are Little Tunny (Euthynnus affinis), Frigate Tuna (Auxis thazard), Oriental Bonito (Sarda orientalis), Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares), Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus), Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), etc.