Species guide
How to catch Southern bluefin tuna
Thunnus maccoyii
The Southern bluefin tuna is a powerful migratory predator known for seasonal movements between warm spawning waters and cold feeding grounds. It grows very large and supports popular recreational and commercial fisheries. Juveniles stay near coastal shelves, while adults travel between Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Southern Ocean.
Where they live
Found in saltwater across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, this tuna migrates seasonally between warm spawning areas near Australia and cooler feeding grounds off Tasmania and New Zealand. Juveniles prefer coastal and continental shelf waters.
Typical size
Up to about 245 cm
What they eat
- salps
- small marine animals
Best baits
- saltwater fish chunks
- squid strips
- live baitfish
Best lures
- large trolling lures
- popper lures
- deep-diving plugs
How to fish for them
- trolling
- live bait fishing
- chumming
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