What type of tuna is big eye?

The bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) is a species of true tuna of the genus Thunnus, belonging to the wider mackerel family Scombridae. In Hawaiian, it is one of two species known as ʻahi, the other being the yellowfin tuna.

How do you identify big eye tuna?

Bigeye tuna are dark metallic blue on the back and upper sides and white on the lower sides and belly. The first fin on their back is deep yellow, the second dorsal and anal fins are pale yellow, and the finlets are bright yellow with black edges. Bigeye and yellowfin tuna look fairly similar.

What is the largest big eye tuna ever caught?

1,496 pounds
The largest one currently on record belongs to fisherman Ken Fraser, who caught a bluefin tuna off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada in 1979. That fish weighed in at an astounding 1,496 pounds!

Is a big eye tuna a bluefin?

Bigeye tuna are generally the size of yellowfin, and smaller than bluefin. They are long and streamlined, have dark metallic blue on their backs and upper sides, and are nearly white on their lower sides and belly. They can live as long as 15 years.

What’s the difference between big eye and yellowfin tuna?

It is easy to tell the difference between a yellowfin tuna and a bigeye tuna by looking at the dorsal, anal and finlet fins. It will be yellow on a yellowfin tuna, hence the name. A yellowfin also has a thinner body in comparison to a bigeye which has a plumper body with a larger head and obvious looking large eyes.

Is big eye tuna the same as ahi?

That’s Bigeye tuna-known in Hawaii as “ahi”. Known primarily as a sashimi fish, Bigeye are similar in appearance to Yellowfin tuna (which are also sometimes called “ahi”) and are the deepest ranging of all tuna species with a greatest concentration at 150 to 250 fathoms (900 to 1200 feet).

How do you tell a bluefin from a big eye?

How to identify a Bigeye Tuna. The pectoral fins of the bigeye may reach to the second dorsal fin. The second dorsal and anal fins never reach back as far as those of large yellowfin tuna.

What’s the most expensive tuna ever caught?

A Japanese sushi tycoon has paid a whopping $3.1m (£2.5m) for a giant tuna making it the world’s most expensive. Kiyoshi Kimura bought the 278kg (612lbs) bluefin tuna, which is an endangered species, at first new year’s auction in Tokyo’s new fish market.

How much is a big eye tuna worth?

While the adult bigeye caught and sold by the longline fleet for sushi and sashimi markets are worth nearly $6,000 per metric ton at the dock, the juvenile bigeye caught and sold by purse seine fleets for canned tuna are worth only about $2,000 per metric ton.

Is big eye tuna good eating?

Hawaii Bigeye Tuna is an excellent source of healthy, extra lean protein. It is also low in saturated fat and low in sodium. It is rich in niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium and phosphorus. Hawaii Bigeye Tuna is a good source of iodine and magnesium.

How can you tell the difference between big eye tuna and bluefin tuna?

Colour. Yellowfin Tuna have a clear yellow lateral line from their head to their tail above the pectoral fins. Bluefins have a dark blue and greenish lateral line. The second dorsal fin on a yellowfin tuna is bright yellow, whereas those of his bigger cousin are gray and yellow.