Yellowfin Tuna

The golden torpedo of the Pacific. With its bright yellow fins and projectile-shaped body, the yellowfin tuna stars in one of the sea's most impressive spectacles: the "washing machines" where thousands boil the surface.

Thunnus albacares, the yellowfin tuna, is one of the most important pelagic fish of the Panamanian Pacific. It reaches up to 2.4 meters and 200 kg. Its hydrodynamic torpedo-shaped body, metallic blue on the back and silvery on the flanks with its characteristic bright yellow fins, make it unmistakable. It forms enormous mixed schools with dolphins and other species. In Panama, the "washing machines"—feeding frenzies where thousands of tuna, dolphins, and seabirds attack baitfish schools at the surface—are among the most impressive natural spectacles. It is a pillar of Panamanian commercial and sport fishing.

Habitat

Tropical oceanic waters of the Panamanian Pacific