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A slender, coastal tuna with an unusually long, thin tail base and silvery flanks dotted with colourless oval spots on the belly. Unlike most tunas it stays close to shore, making it a prized inshore target for jigging and spinning in the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Coastal and neritic waters over reefs and open shelf
Cooler months in inshore waters, around current lines and bait schools at dawn
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gear or a heavy spin/ outfit with a long heavy — no on tuna, it spooks them (toothy mackerel & wahoo are the exception).
lures or feathers near working birds and bait balls; drop or drift a live sardine when fish hold deep.
Eating & safety
Safe to handle; bleed and chill immediately to preserve the quality of the firm pink flesh.
Best conditions: Cooler months in inshore waters, around current lines and bait schools at dawn
It is one of the few tunas that is essentially a coastal homebody, rarely undertaking the long ocean migrations of its open-water cousins.