Tuna - Mackerel
Also known as:
Mac tuna
Kawakawa
Little tuna
Little tunny
Bonito
Jack mackerel
Kawa kawa
Common Group Name:
Mackerels and Tunas
Family Name:
Scombridae
Genus Name:
Euthynnus
Species Name:
Euthynnus affinis
Dispatch Method:
The eating qualities of mackerel tuna can be greatly improved if they are killed immediately by iki jime before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding. A firm knock on the head may be required to stun larger fish first before attempting iki jime.
Fish Description:
- This species has a distinctive pattern of wavy irregular diagonal lines on the upper dorsal surface, and the presence of between two or five dark spots on the breast below the pectoral fin. Swim bladder absent.
- Mackerel tuna are fast growing -maturity is attained between 40-50 cm fork length at 2 to 3 years of age.
Fish Distribution:
- A highly migratory species which can be found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific.
- In Australia mackerel tuna can be found anywhere throughout the inshore coastal waters of tropical Australia as far south as the south coasts of NSW and WA.
Fish Size Common Length:
30-60 cm, maximum size around 100 cm and 14 kg.
For assistance with identifying fishes, see fishesofaustralia.net.au. For information on size and bag limits, check out the website of your State Fisheries Department.
We thank fishesofaustralia.net.au and Australia's various Fisheries Departments for some of the thumbnail images used to assist with fish identification on this website and its applications, as licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia. Thanks also to Michigan State University and Georgia Aquarium for generous donation of xrays of some US fish species.
