Skipjack tuna commercial tunas, and its population is considered sustainable against its current consumption. Its fishing is still controversial due to the methodology, with rod and reel or fishery options being promoted as ecologically preferable. Purse seine methods are considered unsustainable by some authorities due to excess bycatch, although bycatch is said to be much reduced if fish aggregation devices are not used. These considerations have led to the availability of canned skipjack marked with the fishing method used to catch it. Skipjack is considered to have "moderate" mercury contamination. As a result, pregnant women are advised against eating large quantities. In
Skipjack shad one study, skipjack shad have been found to feed on other shad/herring species such as the threadfin shad, the gizzard shad and young of the year herring species. In some extreme cases, it was shown that they could rely on cannibalism to survive. They are also known to feed on small fishes, mostly shad, while the juveniles feed on insects. The maximum size of the shad/herring utilized by skipjack shad was found to be about 30-35% of the skipjack's body length. There is not much data on the predators of the skipjack shad. Larger fish species, seabirds, and humans prey