The southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) is a tuna of the family Scombridae found in open southern Hemisphere waters of all the world's oceans mainly between 30°S and 50°S, to nearly 60°S. At up to 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) and weighing up to 260 kilograms (570 lb), it is among the larger bony fishes.
Southern bluefin tuna, like other pelagic tuna species, are part of a group of bony fishes that can maintain their body core temperature up to 10 °C (18 °F) above the ambient temperature. This advantage enables them to maintain high metabolic output for predation and migrating large distances. The southern bluefin tuna is an opportunistic feeder, preying on a wide variety of fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, salps, and other marine animals.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe southern bluefin tuna is classified as Endangered species (IUCN status) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species. It had been reclassified from Critically Endangered in September 2021. As of 2020, the current mean population estimate is 13% of unfished levels. Its stock status remains "overfished", though it is not currently subjected to overfishing.
In Australia, the southern bluefin tuna is listed as Conservation Dependent under the EPBC Act. This listing allows for the commercial exploitation of the species, despite their accepted global status as an over-fished species. The species is listed as Endangered under the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (New South Wales) and as Threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (Victoria). Recreational fishing targeting southern bluefin tuna is permitted in all states and territories and is regulated by various combinations of bag, boat and possession limits.
In 2010, Greenpeace International added the SBT to its seafood red list. It is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world which Greenpeace believes have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries. Other environmental organisations have challenged the sustainability of southern bluefin tuna fishing and ranching including the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Sea Shepherd and the Conservation Council of South Australia.
Attempts to establish or expand tuna ranching in waters close to the Sir Joseph Banks group, Kangaroo Island, Louth Bay and Granite Island have been met with public opposition on environmental grounds. Successful court challenges and appeals of planning decisions have occurred in association with plans near the Sir Joseph Banks group and Louth Bay.
