Size and species compositions of Atlantic tunas from imports landed in Puerto Rico during 1983

United States imports of foreign-caught Atlantic tunas transshipped to Puerto Rico are sampled for size and species composition by personnel of the Southwest Fisheries Center, under a program that began in 1974. Fork length measurements were made on a total of 9,702 fish in 1983: 5,844 yellowfin tuna, 2,173 skipjack tuna, 999 bigeye tuna, 418 albacore tuna, 218 blackfin tuna, and 50 bullet tuna (Auxis sp.). Length-frequency information derived from these measurements is presented for the first four of these species. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas' minimum size regulation for yellowfin and bigeye tuna is 55 cm fork length. Sampling of imports to Puerto Rico in 1983 indicates that a large percentage of fish of these species was less than 55 cm. 1984 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) SWFSC (Southwest Fisheries Science Center) Library Public Domain 1930