Biology of little tunny Euthynnus alletteratus in the Gulf of Gabes, Southern Tunisia (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

The article describes the life of little tunny, an Atlantic tuna species that are common in the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia. The life cycle of the tuna was studied through 397 specimens fished from January 2008 to December 2009 in terms of sex-ratio, length-weight relationships, and sexual maturity size. Results revealed that little tunny that live in the gulf could grow between 36.7 to 97.8 centimeters, and achieved a high Gonad-Somatic Index, proving that the breeding period of the tuna occurs from June to Setubptember every year.