Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin tuna are a mainstay of Brazil's offshore sport and commercial fishery, running the Atlantic along the country's northeastern and southeastern coast.
They can push past 200 pounds in Brazilian waters, and the fishery has deep roots — tuna boats have worked these waters since the 1950s.
Sport anglers target them from Bahia and beyond, while artisanal handline fishermen out of the northeast have built a selective, low-bycatch fishery around them.
Scientific Name: Thunnus albacares
Also known as Atum-albacora, atum-rabilho-amarelo
- Torpedo-shaped body; metallic dark blue on the back fading to yellow on the sides and silver-white on the belly — clean, unmistakable coloring at the rail.
- Namesake yellow: dorsal and anal fins plus all the small finlets running toward the tail are bright yellow, the clearest field mark separating yellowfin from bigeye or blackfin.
- Adults grow elongated second dorsal and anal fins that sweep back toward the tail — more pronounced the bigger the fish gets.
- Common fish in Brazilian waters run 20–100 lbs; larger individuals exceeding 200 lbs are caught offshore.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- A migratory, open-ocean species found in warm tropical and subtropical Atlantic waters; in Brazil, present along the entire coastline from the northeast down through the southeast.
- Typically holds in the upper 300 feet of the water column, above the thermocline, where water temperatures stay between roughly 70–88°F.
- Frequently aggregates around floating structure — drifting debris, weedlines, and in Brazil's northeast, around the PIRATA climate-research buoys anchored off the coast.
- Schools with other similarly sized fish and, in some areas, with dolphin pods chasing the same bait schools.
Key Locations
- Northeastern coast (off Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, and surrounding states) — where the PIRATA buoys aggregate large schools and support the artisanal handline fishery.
- Natal, Rio Grande do Norte — base for a longline fishery targeting both yellowfin and bigeye tuna in MSC assessment.
- Bahia — offshore grounds here support sport charter operations targeting yellowfin alongside blue marlin and bigeye tuna.
- Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago — remote mid-Atlantic seamount system off the northeastern tip of Brazil, documented as a feeding ground for yellowfin.
Specific Spots
- PIRATA buoys off the northeastern coast act as fish-aggregating devices — schools stack up in the shade and current breaks around the mooring lines, making them reliable starting points for handline and sport boats alike.
- Floating debris, weedlines, and any drifting structure concentrate baitfish near the surface; yellowfin stack beneath these, so work the edges and down-current side.
- Temperature breaks and current edges offshore — where warm blue water meets cooler upwelling — are classic holding zones worth marking on the sounder.
Yellowfin Tuna FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Yellowfin Tuna?
Trolling with skirted lures in blue/white, pink, or black/red at 7–9 knots covers water and triggers strikes from feeding fish, pair with a ballyhoo under the skirt for added scent and action.
When is the best time to fish for Yellowfin Tuna?
Present year-round in tropical northeastern waters, with fishing accessible whenever sea conditions allow offshore runs. Spawning peaks in the Brazilian summer (December–March), when warm surface temperatures concentrate fish near the top of the water column.
How do you catch Yellowfin Tuna?
Sport anglers in Brazil typically run offshore by boat, trolling skirted lures or rigged ballyhoo over temperature breaks, weedlines, and around fish-aggregating buoys.
What do Yellowfin Tuna eat?
Yellowfin eat whatever the ocean puts in front of them: small fish like jacks and filefish, squid, shrimp, and larval crabs, all forage associated with open-water weedlines and Sargassum. Match this with skirted trolling lures, cedar plugs, or ballyhoo rigged on a hook, which imitate fleeing baitfish at speed.
Where do Yellowfin Tuna live?
A migratory, open-ocean species found in warm tropical and subtropical Atlantic waters; in Brazil, present along the entire coastline from the northeast down through the southeast. Typically holds in the upper 300 feet of the water column, above the thermocline, where water temperatures stay between roughly 70–88°F.
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