This paper reviews historical trends of the catches of the major commercial species (albacore, bigeye, bluefin, skipjack and yellowfin) of tunas. The total world catch of these species has increased during the last 50 years (from 0.4 to 3.9 million tonnes), but the pattern of increase has varied among species, oceans and fishing gears. The causes of those variations are analysed in this paper. In the world catch, the Pacific Ocean has been predominant throughout. In recent years catches from the Indian Ocean have exceeded those from the Atlantic.