Fast, big, strong and a fighter: these characteristics make tuna one of the favorite sport fishes on the high seas. With tasty and abundant meat, tuna is a fish of high economic value, industrialized in several countries.
Tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ), a marine fish from the scombrid family, perciformes order, reaches up to four meters in length, and can reach 800 kg. Excellent swimmer, travels, at great speeds, extensive regions. Other species of the same family, such as white albacore ( T. alalunga ) and light yellowfin (Germo albacares) and other large fish from closely related families, such as swordfish (xiphiid) and sailfish (istiophorid), are commonly sold as tuna. Even much smaller fish such as mackerel and bonito are also sold this way, but in these cases the meat is cut into small pieces or made into a paste.
Like other scombrids, tuna have sharp jaws and the caudal fin divides into two long, open branches, in the shape of a crescent moon. The dorsal and temporal fins, the back and the tail are a metallic blue, fading to light gray on the side of the body and almost white on the belly. It feeds on smaller fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Inhabits the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The commercial value of tuna stems mainly from the size, flavor and abundance of the species. The valuable meat is white, with a pronounced flavor and found on the flanks. The dark parts are rejected for common consumption, because they contain a lot of blood and because of the very active taste. However, they are used in the industrialization process and in the manufacture of by-products, such as animal feed.
Tuna sustains several canning industries in Brazil, from Pernambuco to Rio Grande do Sul. Such industries have faced, over the years, competition from foreign fishing boats, mainly Japanese, which do even the industrialization of fish on the high seas. . The tuna boats have sophisticated equipment and the support of refrigerated vessels.
Tuna sport fishing on the high seas attracts a large number of enthusiasts. Because it is a warrior fish, it is fascinating in line and reel fishing. The fishermen stand, sometimes on boards beside the boats, at sea level. The hooked fish is hauled in by two men, or more if necessary, who throw it into the boat immediately, as the tuna can easily come off the hook. In industrial fishing, long longlines of tens of kilometers are thrown into the sea, with hooks every two meters, and whole baits; in this activity, the collection of lines (long-lines) can last more than one day.
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