Divefree

Fish

Dogtooth Tuna

Gymnosarda unicolor

A powerful, deep-blue reef-associated tuna armed with large conical teeth, prized by gamefishers and topping out well over 130 kg.

Also known as 1 hoektand

Dogtooth Tuna
Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC 4.0
Typical size
Records to 206 cm fork length and 131 kg
Habitat
Epipelagic, associated with coral reefs

The dogtooth tuna is deep blue over the back and upper sides with no obvious pattern, and it carries the large conical teeth that give it its name. The all-tackle record is a fish of 206 cm fork length and 131 kg, taken off Korea in 1982, so this is a serious adversary.

Unlike the more oceanic tunas it is epipelagic but usually associated with coral reefs. It occurs patchily through the tropical Indo-West Pacific and has been caught in our waters off St Lucia.