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 upon them. In fact, it is shown that fish species in the family Clupeidae including the skipjack shad comprise up to 45% of the diet of these avian species. The spawning season for skipjack shad is from early March to late April in the southern extent of its range. In the upper Mississippi river drainage spawning time is from early May to early July. Females produce about 100,000 to 300,000 eggs per year, presumably after 2 to 3 years of growth with an average size being Spawning is thought to occur in the depths of main channel over coarse sand-gravel