lautnusantara.com - Bluefin tuna can be found on the Atlantic and Pacific ocean, and so they called as Atlantic Bluefin and Pacific Bluefin. They are mostly inhabit North America’s eastern coastline. Some will migrating to the Mediterranean, and some will spawn at the Gulf of Mexico. Other bluefin is Pacific bluefin that widely spread throughout Pacific ocean. As juvenile they swim from Japan to western Pacific. After maturing they’re come back to Philippine sea and Japan se to spawn. Bluefin mostly grow larger than yellowfin, bluefin can grow up to 1000 pounds while yellowfin is just about 400-500lb.

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Yellowfin tuna can be found around the world, they are widely spread on the oceans, especially tropic and subtropic region. This fish is often seen prowling around mid-ocean island. They most likely to inhabit temperate waters compared to bluefin. In the eastern pacific oceans, yellowfin can be found in Hawaiian archipelago and many of Baja California islands. On the Atlantic side, yellowfin can be found from Nova Scotia down to North Carolina. On the south regions, this fish can be found throughout Caribbean, Bermuda, Azores, Canary Island, Saint Helena and Ascension island to the east. They’re also inhabit Indian ocean.

To sum up the difference, here are the points:

Appearance

Younger bluefin is easily mistaken as an adult yellowfin, but there are few trait that can set them apart

1. Bluefin pectoral fin does not reach past the beginning of their second dorsal fin. Yellowfin is known to have longer pectoral fin.
2. Bluefin underside of body is silver with uneven line, while yellowfin also has silver underside but they has bright yellow lateral line.
3. The second dorsal fin of bluefin tuna is mixture of grey and yellow, while yellowfin’s second dorsal fin is bright yellow.
4. Bluefin tail is dark blue, meanwhile yellowfin has yellow and grey combination on its tail.

Habitat

Bluefin tuna mostly inhabit the Pacific and Atlantic ocean, while the yellowfin mostly inhabit tropical and subtropical seas, like Indian ocean. They are migratory fish so they don’t have one static habitat.

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Diet

Both bluefin and yellowfin tuna prey on small marine animal. This include small fish like sardine, mackerel and herring, crustacean, and squid.

Flavour

Bluefin and yellowfin are the most prestigious fish because of their delicious taste meat. You can easily find them on the high end restaurant menus. Instead of bluefin tunas, yellowfin meat is more leaner with lighter taste. Yellowfin meat is a great quality fish meat and they are a great choice for sashimi or steak. It can be said that yellowfin is more affordable than bluefin.

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