Katsuwonus pelamis | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes

Taxa
Katsuwonus pelamis | (Linnaeus, 1758)
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Fishes
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
Some authors have included Skipjack Tuna in the genus Euthynnus, but recent authors agree with its placement in the monotypic genus Katsuwonus (Collette and Graves 2019).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
In the UAE, this species only occurs in the Sea of Oman. It does not occur in the Arabian Gulf. Globally, it is circumglobal in seas warmer than 15'°C.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
Yes
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This pelagic and oceanodromous species is found in offshore waters to depths of 260 m. It exhibits a strong tendency to school in surface waters with birds, drifting objects, sharks, and whales. It feeds on fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and molluscs and is preyed upon by large pelagic fishes (Kailola et al. 1993). In the western Atlantic, it is commonly found in mixed schools with Blackfin Tuna, Thunnus atlanticus.This species is very fast-growing, short-lived, and very fecund. Its maximum fork length is 111 cm (Bayliff 1988) and longevity is estimated to be between 6-“8 years (Garcia-Coll et al. 1985, Collette 2010). The age of first maturity is estimated to be 1.5 years (Maunder and Harley 2005) with a fork length at first maturity of 40-“55 cm, depending on the area (Collette and Nauen 1983, Matsumoto et al. 1984, Cayre and Farrugio 1986, Wild and Hampton 1994, Stequert and Ramcharrun 1996, Schaefer 2001). This species spawns several times per season in batches (Erdman 1977, Collette 2010). When applying an age at first reproduction of 1.5 years and longevity of 7 years, its estimated generation length is 4.25 years based on the following equation recommended by the IUCN Red List methods: Age at first reproduction + (Age at last reproduction -“ age at first reproduction)/2.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least Concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
This species occurs in UAE waters in the Sea of Oman only, and its presence in fish markets has declined in recent years, but quantified data are limited. It is targeted by tuna fisheries in the Sea of Oman off Pakistan, Iran and Oman. The population in UAE waters is connected with the Indian Ocean stock, and its status should reflect that fisheries' reports. According to a stock assessment by the IOTC in 2017, it is considered to be not overfished, and historically not overfished. Fishing activity is not known to be driving population declines approaching a Near Threatened or threatened level at this time; therefore, it is listed as Least Concern.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Fishing activity is not expected to be causing population declines at this time.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Katsuwonus pelamis Animalia Chordata Actinopterygii Perciformes Scombridae Katsuwonus