All about the Fish!

Tuna For Life

Tuna Atom

This is the genrtic composition of the Tuna Fish.

This page will give you a general introduction to the Tuna. There is much more to it then just a delicious meal option. It has a complicated history which dates back thousands of years.

tuna - Definition
                                                  n 1: tropical American flat-jointed prickly pear; Jamaica [syn: Opuntia
                                                       tuna]
                                                  2: important warm-water fatty fish of the genus Thunnus of the
                                                     family Scombridae; usually served as steaks [syn: tuna
                                                     fish, tunny]
                                                  3: any very large marine food and game fish of the genus
                                                     Thunnus; related to mackerel; chiefly of warm waters [syn:
                                                      tunny]
                                                  4: New Zealand eel [syn: Anguilla sucklandii]

So What are Tuna?

Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae. Tuna are fast swimmers and like most other fish species are cold-blooded. Unlike most ocean fish species, which have white flesh, the flesh of tuna is pink. This is because the tuna's blood has a higher oxygen carrying ability than other fish species. Some of the larger tuna species such as the bluefin tuna can raise their blood temperature above the water temperature with muscular activity. Though not really warm-blooded, this enables them to live in cooler waters and survive a wider range of circumstances.

Tuna is a popular seafood. It is endangered because of overfishing

We realize that a lot of this information is new for you, so we are including a Glossary of terms related to the site. If you are unfamiliar with a certain word please refer to the link below.

Tuna Glossary

Tuna Salad!One of the many options available because of the wonderful fish.

That's What I Call Lunch!

There is nothing better to get you through the day then a homemade Tuna Melt. Offers the body numerous required nutrients plus a variety of oils and acids required to maintain a healthy body.

Enjoy!

Tid-bits!!!

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

From the early thirties and up until the late seventies San Diego was known as the Tuna Capital of the World. over 40,000 people were employed directly or indirectly by the Tuna Industry. Tuna was being served in over 80% of all American households. Large companies like, Van Camp Seafood Co., Starkist Foods, Westgate California, Bumble Bee Seafood, Pan Pacific, and a host of other small canners processed Tuna in San Diego and up and down the West Coast. The Tuna Industry in San Diego was ranked third only to the Navy and Aircraft Industry bringing in over $30,000,000.00 a year to the San Diego economy. This isn't much by todays standards, but in those days it was a lot of money and a great boast to the City of San Diego's economy.

Scombrids

(image here)

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Scombridae

Genera

    Acanthocybium
    Allothunnus
    Auxus
    Cybiosarda
    Euthynnus
    Gasterochisma
    Grammatorcynus
    Gymnosarda
    Katsuwonus
    Orcynopsis
    Rastrelliger
    Sarda
    Scomber
    Scomberomorus
    Thunnus

What is the history of Tuna Fish?

Tuna is a noble and mysterious fish with an interesting history. Ancient Greeks and other Mediterraneans considered this elusive fish, known as Thunnos, a great delicacy.

The Incas and other South American civilisations along the Pacific prized this same catch, which they called Xatunkama.

Later, centuries of fishermen developed new techniques for catching tuna, but they still could not determine where the fish were spawned or how they travelled thousands of miles though unknown routes in the depths of the sea.

We now know a lot more about the tuna fish that these people could not understand. For example, Southern Bluefin only swim in waters between 18° C and 22° C, Striped and Yellowfin swim in waters up to 28° C and swim in warm currents that run below the surface in the oceans and coastal waters.

Tuna belong to the Scombroid family along with mackerel, bonito and swordfish. They are beautifully streamlined, with sharply pointed noses, tapering tails and crescent-shaped fins. Their bodies are round, firm and strong, and they are swift swimmers, they have been known to clock up speeds of up to 67kph.