Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tunny
TUNNY (Thynmis thynnus), one of the largest fishes of the family of Mackerels, belongs to the genus of which the Bonito (Th. Pelamys) and the Albacores (Th. albacora, Th. Alalonga, &c.) are equally well-known members. From the latter the tunny is distinguished by its much shorter pectoral fins, which reach backwards only to, or nearly to, the end of the first dorsal fin. It possesses nine short finlets behind the dorsal, and eight behind the anal fin. Its colour is dark bluish above, and greyish, tinged and spotted with silvery, below. The tunny is a pelagic fish, but periodically approaches the shore, wandering in large shoals, at least in the Mediterranean, within well-ascertained areas along the coast. The causes by which its wanderings are regulated in the Atlantic Ocean are much less understood; it not unfrequently appears in small companies or singly in the English Channel and in the German Ocean, probably in pursuit of the shoals of pilchards and herrings on which it feeds. The regularity of its appearance on certain parts of the coasts of the Mediterranean has led to the establishment of a systematic fishery, which has been carried on from the time of the Phoenicians to the present day. Immense numbers of tunnies were caught on the Spanish coast and in the Sea of Marmora, where, however, this industry has much declined. The Sardinian tunnies were considered to be of superior excellence.
Tunny (Thynnus thynnus).
The greatest number is now caught on the north coast of Sicily, the fisheries of this island supplying most of the preserved tunny which is exported to other parts of the world. In ancient times the fish were preserved in salt, and that coming from Sardinia, which was specially esteemed by the Romans, was known as Salsamentum sardicum. At present preference is given to tunny preserved in oil. Many of the fishes, especially the smaller ones, are consumed fresh. The tunny occurs also in the South Pacific; but several other species seem to take its place in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It is one of the largest fishes, attaining to a length of ten feet and to a weight of more than a thousand pounds.
On the tunny fisheries of ancient and modern times, see Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. des Poissons (vol. viii. pp. 71-92).