Skipjack tuna important prey species for sharks and large pelagic fishes and is often used as live bait when fishing for Marlin. It has no scales, except on the lateral line and the corselet (a band of large, thick scales forming a circle around the body behind the head). It commonly reaches fork lengths up to and a weight of . Its maximum fork length is and maximum weight is . Ageing skipjack tuna is difficult, and the estimates of its potential lifespan range between 8 and 12 years. Skipjack tuna is a batch spawner. Spawning occurs year-round in equatorial waters, but
Skipjack shad bars. Spawning temperature range is between . Eggs are broadcast over the substrate. Skipjack shad young may reach total lengths of during their first year. The maximum length in adults is 20 inches, but they are most commonly found to be between . The oldest specimen of skipjack shad reported was four years old. High population rates and the fact that there it has little to no interest to fisheries tells us that humans do not have much influence on life history. Impoundments have changed their distribution slightly, but they have no trouble spawning as a result. Human impacts on