Bigeye Tuna belong to the Scombridae family (mackerels, tunas). They are present for much of the year off the coast of the North Island and are deeper swimming than other tuna.  

The main fishing grounds for Bigeye Tuna are off the north and northeast coasts of New Zealand. They are caught in the northeast (from January to March) and in the north (from September to November) mainly by longliners.