Yellowfin tuna is a fish species that travels great distances throughout its life. Its remarkable endurance is partly due to the high concentration of myoglobin in its muscles. This myoglobin is what gives yellowfin tuna meat its red colour, unlike the flesh of many other fish species.
After skipjack tuna—the species most commonly found in canned tuna on supermarket shelves—yellowfin tuna is the most widely caught tuna species. Most yellowfin tuna is caught in the Pacific Ocean (61%), followed by the Indian Ocean (31%).
When you order a tuna steak in a restaurant, there is a good chance that yellowfin tuna is the species on your plate. To give the tuna an especially attractive red colour and to disguise reduced freshness, this species is occasionally treated with beetroot juice.
There are several MSC-certified yellowfin tuna fisheries, the majority of which are located in the Pacific Ocean. In many cases, yellowfin tuna is caught together with albacore or skipjack tuna. MSC-certified tuna fishers catch their tuna using purse seines or pole and line.