Tuna range from relatively small skipjack to bluefin that can reach several hundred pounds. NOAA lists adult Pacific bluefin at about 130 pounds, while its Atlantic facts page says western Atlantic bluefin can reach 2,000 pounds. Those figures describe different sources and size claims—not a rule that every Atlantic tuna is bigger than every Pacific tuna.
How big are tuna?
There is no single size for a tuna: the word covers several species, and an adult’s size differs from an exceptional maximum. Bluefin are among the largest. At the other end, NOAA describes Atlantic skipjack as around 3 feet long and 40 pounds.
NOAA’s western Atlantic tuna guide gives these species maximum sizes. Its figures are not typical adult sizes, and the guide’s publication year was not stated in the captured source.
| Western Atlantic species | Common length | Maximum size listed by NOAA |
|---|---|---|
| Bluefin | Not stated in the guide | Over 118 inches and over 1,000 pounds |
| Bigeye | 16–67 inches | 90 inches and 450 pounds |
| Yellowfin | 16–67 inches | 80 inches and 400 pounds |
| Albacore | 16–43 inches | 50 inches and 90 pounds |
Source for the table: NOAA Fisheries, A Guide to Tunas of the Western Atlantic Ocean. NOAA also says Atlantic bigeye can reach about 5.5 feet; that figure comes from its Atlantic Bigeye Tuna page.
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How big is a bluefin tuna?
Bluefin size depends on which species, population, and life stage you mean. NOAA Fisheries gives separate adult and maximum-reported figures for Pacific bluefin:
- Adult Pacific bluefin: approximately 1.5 m (4 feet 11 inches) and 60 kg (130 pounds), according to NOAA’s Pacific Bluefin Tuna page, accessed in 2026.
- Maximum reported Pacific bluefin: 3 m (9.8 feet) and 450 kg (990 pounds), on the same NOAA page.
For western Atlantic bluefin, NOAA’s Fascinating Atlantic Tunas Facts page, published about 2023, says they can grow up to 13 feet and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. The same page calls western Atlantic bluefin the largest Atlantic tuna species.
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NOAA’s western Atlantic tuna guide gives a different bluefin maximum: over 118 inches and over 1,000 pounds. Since the feature page and guide present different figures, keep their attributions separate rather than treating them as a single reconciled record.
Are Atlantic tuna bigger than Pacific tuna?
That is too broad a comparison to answer with a simple yes or no. “Atlantic tuna” and “Pacific tuna” each encompass more than one species, and even a bluefin comparison needs to distinguish adult size from a reported or possible maximum. NOAA’s adult Pacific bluefin figure is not directly comparable to its western Atlantic bluefin upper-size claim.
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For a useful comparison, specify the species and population, whether you mean an ordinary adult or a maximum, and how length was measured. In its tuna guide, NOAA defines curved fork length as a measurement following the body’s curve from the upper jaw to the fork of the tail. That is not the same measurement label as total length.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why maximum size is not typical size
A fish described as reaching a maximum is an exceptional-size example or upper limit, not a prediction of what an average adult weighs. NOAA makes this distinction especially clearly for Pacific bluefin by listing its approximate adult size separately from its maximum reported size. When comparing tuna, use like-for-like figures whenever possible and retain the source’s wording for each measurement.
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