Visual quality testing method used in the field for grading yellowfin tuna

The yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) popularly known as the ‘chicken of the sea’ is harvested along the Indian coast mainly with an eye on the export market. Though the fish meat both in fresh and canned form has a demand in domestic markets in some states, the higher value it fetches in the export market prompts the fishermen to mainly aim at exports. However, certain minimal conditions of fish quality have to be ascertained and certified before it is accepted for export. The south-east Asian countries are the main market for tunas and tuna meat is consumed both in raw as well as processed forms (canned, fish fingers, fish powder, fish sauce etc.