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Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber - Trepang)

Bigeye Tuna or Big Eye Tuna have a shallow notch at the centre of the caudal fin fork and, in adults, the eye is relatively large compared with that of other tunas.  Their entire dorsal and ventral body profiles are evenly curved.  The liver has noticeable striations and its central lobe is the longest.  The pectoral fin in adult bigeye tuna is one-quarter to one-third the body fork length, whereas the pectoral fin in juvenile bigeye tuna is longer and always extends beyond a line drawn between the anterior edges of the second dorsal and anal fins.  Bigeye tuna less than 75cm fork length (10kg whole weight) have longer pectoral fins than Yellowfin Tuna of comparable sizes.  Juvenile bigeye tuna often have 7-10 white unbroken stripes crossing the lower sides vertically, substantially fewer than in juvenile yellowfin tuna.

Bigeye tuna are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.  They are an oceanic fish, found throughout Australian waters when surface temperatures exceed 17ºC.  Although juvenile bigeye tuna have not been reported outside tropical waters.

Bigeye tuna smaller than 20kg are mainly found with surface-dwelling schools of similar fish such as yellowfin tuna and skipjack tuna.  Schools of only bigeye tuna are less common.  Adults tend to be solitary.

Interesting Facts about Bigeye Tuna:

Bigeye tuna can dive deeper than other tuna species and exhibit extensive vertical movements. This species exhibits clear daily patterns, moving to deeper waters during the daytime

Bigeye tuna is caught mostly in tropical waters.

In the Atlantic Ocean, the record for the largest bigeye tuna caught recreationally is a 375 pound fish with a fork length of 6.75 feet taken off Ocean City, Maryland in 1977.

Bigeye tuna are believed to have recently evolved from a common parent stock of yellowfin tuna.

The main predators of bigeye tuna are large billfish and toothed whales.

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Geographic range: Bigeye tuna is found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans in warmer temperature waters between 55 and 84º F. In the western Atlantic, they can be found from Nova Scotia to Argentina, including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Habitat: Bigeye tuna are a pelagic species - they are found from the surface to about 800 feet deep. Larvae are found in tropical waters, but as juvenile fish grow larger, they tend to move into temperate waters.

Life span: Bigeye tuna can live longer than 9 years.

Food: Bigeye tuna feed at night and during the day on fishes, squid, and crustaceans found from the surface to a depth of 500 feet. They favor shrimp, mackerel, and other small tuna.

Growth rate: Relatively fast.

Maximum size: Bigeye typically range in length from 1.5 to 5.5 feet. Bigeye over 6.5 feet are rare.
Reaches reproductive maturity: At about age three and a half.

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Angling for Big Eye Tuna:

Bigeye Tuna are a highly sought after game fish.

Bigeye tuna are believed to have recently evolved from a common parent stock of yellowfin tuna.

One of the most difficult fish identification jobs is distinguishing between a Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) and a Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares). There are two methods of examining these fish, exterior and interior. Only the interior examination is 100 percent foolproof. The smaller the size of the tuna, the less effective the exterior examination becomes. The easiest method is to look for first for the characteristics of the Bigeye Tuna first, and by the process of elimination, wind up by concluding you are holding a Yellowfin Tuna.

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Cooking Bigeye Tuna & Tuna Recipes:

Tuna is low in saturated fat and sodium and is a very good source of protein, thiamin, selenium, and vitamin B6. Bigeye Tuna has a pale pink flesh, medium to firm texture and a medium to high fat content.

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Bigeye tuna are caught by pole and line and purse seine fisheries in the western and central Pacific Ocean, and in Australia's Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery. Tagging studies help scientists account for fluctuations in fishery catch records in order to better estimate fish stocks. Spikes in catches can be due to shifts in fish diving behaviour and their availability to fishing gear, rather than rises or falls in overall numbers. For example, when bigeye dive deeper on the full moon their habitat range overlaps with night-time sets of fishing gear resulting in higher catches.

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More links & resources about Big Eye Tuna and Tuna Information:

FishWatch US Seafood Facts about Atlantic Bigeye Tuna, Marine Stewardship Council fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel. CSIRO scientist Karen Evans has tagged tunas, billfish, sharks, seabirds, seals and whales from the tropics to Antarctica. Karen led the data analysis and reporting of a project that tagged 161 bigeye tuna......

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