Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Fisheries and
for a world without hunger Aquaculture Department
Species Fact Sheets
Euthynnus affinis (Cantor, 1849)
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Synonyms
Euthunnus yaito Kishinouye, 1915
Wanderer wallisi Whitley, 1937
Euthunnus affinis affinis Fraser-Brunner, 1949
Euthunnus alletteratus affinis Beaufort, 1951
Euthunnus wallisi Whitley, 1964
FAO Names
En - Kawakawa, Fr - Thonine orientale, Sp - Bacoreta oriental.
3Alpha Code: KAW Taxonomic Code: 1750102406
Scientific Name with Original Description
Thynnus affinis Cantor, 1849, J.Asiatic Soc.Bengal, 18(2):1088-1090 (Sea of Penang, Malaysia).
Diagnostic Features
Gillrakers 29 to 33 on first arch; gill teeth 28 or 29; vomerine teeth absent. Anal fin rays 13 or 14. Vertebrae
39; no trace of vertebral protuberances; bony caudal keels on 33 and 34 vertebrae. Colour: dorsal makings
composed of broken oblique stripes.
Geographical Distribution
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Eut hynnus af f i ni s
Base layers
FAO f ishing ar eas
200 naut ical m iles ar cs
FAO Fishing Ar eas codes
Throughout the warm waters of the Indo-West Pacific, including oceanic islands and archipelagos.A few stray
specimens have been collected in the eastern tropical Pacific.
Habitat and Biology
An epipelagic, neritic speciesinhabiting waters temperatures ranging from 18 to 29° C. Like other scombrids,
E. affinis tend to form multispecies schools by size, 'i.e. with small Thunnus albacares, Katsuwonus pelamis,
Auxis sp., and Megalaspis cordyla (a carangid), comprising from 100 to over 5 000 individuals.
Although sexually mature fish may be encountered throughout the year, there are seasonal spawning peaks
varying according to regions: i.e. March to May in Philippine waters; during the period of the NW monsoon
(October-November to April-May) around the Seychelles; from the middle of the NW monsoon period to the
beginning of the SE monsoon (January to July) off East Africa; and probably from August to October off
Indonesia. The only available information on fecundity applies to Indian Ocean material: a 1.4 kg female (ca
48 cm fork length) spawns approximately 0.21 million eggs per batch (corresponding to about 0.79 million per
season), whereas a female weighing 4.6 kg (65 cm fork length) may spawn some 0.68 million eggs per batch
(2.5 million per season). The sex ratio in immature fish is about 1:1, while males predominate in the adult
stages. E. affinis is a highly opportunistic predator feeding indiscriminately on fish, shrimps and
cephalopods.In turn, it is preyed upon by marlins and sharks.
Size
Maximum fork length is about 100 cm and weight about 13.6 kg, common to 60 cm. The all-tackle angling
record is a 11.80 kg fish from Merimbala, New South Wales, with a fork length of 96.5 cm taken in 1980. In
Philippines waters, maturity is attained at about 40 cm fork length, while in the Indian Ocean it is reached
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between 50 and 65 cm in the 3rd year of age.
Interest to Fisheries
The reported world catch (eight countries) for the period between 1975 and 1981 fluctuated between about 44
000 and 65 000 t per year. The 1977 catches were exceptionally high, almost 84 000 t. About 67 500 t were
reported for 1981 (FAO, 1983). The countries with the largest landings were the Philippines, Malaysia and
Pakistan. In India, E. affinis is an important species in local drift net (gillnet) and hooks and lines fisheries, even
though this country has not supplied separate statistics for it during the above period. Typically these are
multispecies fisheries also taking E. affinis. Besides gillnetting, trolling is the major fishing technique in use.
Occasionally beach seines and longlines are also deployed. Some gear types are rather size-selective, i.e.
trolling lines take smaller fish than gillnets.
The meat is of good quality when fresh, but it deteriorates very fast if not treated adequately.The total catch
reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 169 607 t. The countries with the largest catches were Malaysia
(57 281 t) and Thailand (45 768 t).
Global Capture Production for species (tonnes)
Source: FAO FishStat
600k
400k
200k
0k
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Euthynnus affinis
Local Names
AUSTRALIA : Bonito , Little tuna , Mackerel tuna .
CHINA : Tow chung .
COMOROS : Bonito , Mibassi , Mpassi .
INDIA : Choori-min , Suraly (Tamil), Chuki , Ohaman (Marathi).
INDONESIA : Diverg-bonito , Poetilai , Tongkol , Tongkol komo .
JAPAN : Hiragatsuo , Obosogatsuo , Segatsuo , Suma , Surnagatsuo , Watanabe , Yaito .
KENYA : Bonito , Little tuna , Sehewa (Swahili).
MADAGASCAR : Bonite , Thonnine .
MALAYSIA : Choreng , Ikanayer , Kembel-mas , Sembak , Tombal-mas (Malay), Tongkol .
MAURITIUS : Bonite , Bonito .
PACIFIC ISLANDS TRUST TERR.: Micronesia : Chesodm , Otava .
PAPUA NEW GUINEA : Kababida .
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
PAKISTAN : Chooki , Dawan , Dwarf bonito , Jukko .
PHILIPPINES : Katsarita , Oceanic bonito , Tulingan , Yaito bonito .
SEYCHELLES : Bonite , Bonito , Little tunny .
SOMALIA : Jeidha , Maba'di (Somali).
SOUTH AFRICA : Eastern little tuna , Oostelike kleintuna .
SRI LANKA : Atavalla , Lesser bonito , Mackerel tuna , Ragodura , Sureya (Sinhalese), Shurai (Tamil).
TANZANIA : Bonito , Little tuna , Sehewa (Swahili).
USA : Bonito , Kawakawa , Little tuna .
former USSR : Malyj tunets , Pyatinstyj indo-tikhookeanskyj tunets .
VIET NAM : Cángùr , Dài-loan .
Remarks
The East African Swahili vernacular name "Sehewa" is also in use for skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis ) and
Auxis species; the Somalian name "Jeidha" likewise refers to small yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares ) and
hardtail scad (Megalaspis cordyla ). Names like 'Little tuna', 'Little tunny', 'Black skipjack', and 'Mackerel tuna'
are used indiscriminately for this as well as other species of the genus Euthynnus in some countries.
Source of Information
FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of Tunas,
Mackerels, Bonitos and related species known to date.Collette, B.B. & C.E. Nauen 1983.. FAO Fish.
Synop., (125)Vol.2:137 p.
Bibliography
Fischer & Whitehead, eds (1974, Species Identification Sheets, Eastern Indian Ocean/Western Central Pacific)
Kikawa, (1963)
Kishinouye, (1923)
Williams, (1963)
Yoshida, (1979)
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