Scientific name
Katsuwonus pelamis; Thunnus albacares
Also known as
Skipjack, yellowfin, listao, rabil, ahi
Main origins
Ghana, Spain, Mexico
Availability
Year round
Overview
About Tuna
Skipjack and yellowfin are fast tropical tunas of open ocean waters, often schooling together under floating objects. Skipjack has darker, stronger flavoured meat and is the main canning species, while yellowfin has firm, lean red flesh used for loins, steaks and sashimi.
Ghana’s purse seine and pole and line fleets land at Tema, which supports canneries and loining plants. Spanish freezer purse seiners fish the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and supply Spanish and overseas canneries, and Mexico’s Pacific purse seine fleet targets yellowfin.
Key points
- Brine frozen whole round
- Graded in kg per fish
- Loins and steaks available
- MSC certified options
Origins
Where it comes from
Ghana
Purse seine and pole and line fleets land at Tema and Accra, MSC certified since January 2026.
Spain
Freezer purse seiners from the Basque Country and Galicia supply whole round fish to Spanish and overseas canneries.
Mexico
The Pacific purse seine fleet lands yellowfin for loins and canning.
Available origins vary through the year. Contact us for current availability.
Specifications
Available formats
| Product forms | Whole round, loins (raw or precooked), steaks, saku |
| Sizes (kg per fish) | Skipjack 1.8 down, 1.8/3.4, 3.4 up; yellowfin 10/20, 20 up |
| Freezing | Brine frozen on board for canning; ultra low temperature for sashimi grade |
| Packing | Whole round in bulk or bagged; loins vacuum packed in master cartons |
| Availability | Year round; ICCAT FAD measures and IATTC closures apply |
| Certifications | MSC certified fleets available, including Ghana; APR and dolphin safe by fleet |
Canning grade and sashimi grade fish differ in freezing and handling; specify end use when requesting offers. Specifications are typical for the trade and vary by origin and supplier. We source to your exact requirements.
Interested in Tuna?
Send us your specification, volumes and destination and we will come back to you with suitable offers.