The blue fin tuna has a deep blue back and a green streaked belly. Its bright red flesh, mainly the lower part of its belly called vetresca or sorra, is considered as a delicate canned food. The fatty aspect of this flesh has devoted admirers. This species is caught in the Mediterranean Sea where it migrates to lay its eggs.
The blue fin tuna is the largest species of the scombridae. Its body is stocky, hydrodynamic and long. It is characterized by its pectoral fins which are short. All scombridae have two dorsal fins and pinnules (very small yellow fins behind the second dorsal fin). The blue fin tuna’s scales are very small.

The blue fin tuna lives in the open sea within shoals which size varies between some individuals and more than one hundred individuals. It is a migratory fish able to swim at more than 80 km/h. It lives in tropical as well as cold waters.

The blue fin tuna is a voracious fish eating all year long except the reproduction period. It is a fish-eater attacking gregarious fishes such as anchovy, sardine, garfish, herring and mackerel. In deeper waters, it chases the blue-mouth fish and lings and sometimes squids and crustaceans.