Tuna Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Tuna

Tunas (from top): albacore, Atlantic bluefin, skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scombriformes
Family:	Scombridae
Subfamily:	Scombrinae
Tribe:	Thunnini Starks, 1910
Genera
Allothunnus: slender tunas Auxis: frigate tunas Euthynnus: little tunas Katsuwonus: cocinal tunas Thunnus: albacores, true tunas

Tuna, also called tuna fish, are a type of fish found in oceans around the world. They belong to the family Scombridae, and most of them are in the group called Thunnus. Tuna are known for being very fast swimmers. Some have been seen swimming as fast as 77 kilometers per hour (about 48 miles per hour)!

Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, tuna meat is pink to dark red. This is because their muscles have a special molecule called myoglobin. Myoglobin helps carry oxygen, which tuna need a lot of because they are so active. Some larger tuna, like the Northern bluefin tuna, can even keep their bodies warmer than the water around them. This helps them live in colder waters and survive in many different places.

Tuna in Business and Fishing
- Fishing for Tuna
- Tuna Farms
What Tuna Eat and How It Affects Us
Different Kinds of Tuna
Other Fish Called "Tuna"
Images for kids
See also

Tuna in Business and Fishing

Tuna are very important for fishing and food businesses around the world. Many people enjoy eating tuna, especially canned tuna.

Fishing for Tuna

Some kinds of tuna, like the bluefin and bigeye tuna, have been caught so much that their numbers are getting low. This is called overfishing. It has really affected tuna groups in the Atlantic Ocean and the northwestern Pacific Ocean. However, other types of tuna, like the skipjack tuna in the central and western Pacific, still have healthy populations. But scientists are worried that overfishing could become a problem for all tuna fisheries worldwide.

Tuna Farms

To help with the demand for tuna, some fishermen now raise them on "fish farms." These are special areas in the water, often with large nets, where tuna are kept and grown. For example, in Australia, fishermen catch young Southern bluefin tuna at sea and then move them to these farms. The tuna stay there for three to six months, growing bigger and fatter. There are also tuna farms in the Mediterranean Sea, North America, and Japan that raise Northern bluefin tuna. Some groups that care about the environment are concerned that these farms use too many smaller fish to feed the tuna. They also worry that the farms might make the water dirty.

What Tuna Eat and How It Affects Us

Tuna are high up in the food chain. This means they eat other animals that have eaten even smaller animals. Because of this, some larger tuna species, like bluefin and albacore, can have higher levels of mercury in their meat. Mercury is a heavy metal that can build up in their bodies.

In 2004, the United States FDA gave advice about eating tuna. They suggested that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children should limit how much of these larger tuna they eat. However, most canned light tuna is skipjack tuna, which usually has very low levels of mercury.

Many people also enjoy catching tuna for fun. Sport fishermen often use rods and hooks to catch these powerful fish.