Yellowfin Tuna

Photo: Rafael de la Parra · CC BY-NC

Yellowfin tuna circle Saint Helena in large pelagic schools year-round, drawn by the productive upwelling that the island's seamount geography generates in the surrounding South Atlantic. The tuna spawn in Saint Helena's waters during the summer months, an event that cascades through the food web — the egg clouds attract whale sharks, devil rays, and seabirds simultaneously. Commercial fishing around Saint Helena is tightly regulated under the island's conservation framework, meaning tuna here are substantially less wary of divers than at more heavily fished South Atlantic locations.