First attempt to assess the viability of bluefin tuna spawning events in offshore cages located in an a priori favourable larval habitat

Authors

  • Patricia Reglero Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centre Oceanogràfic de les Balears
  • Rosa Balbín Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centre Oceanogràfic de les Balears
  • Aurelio Ortega Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia
  • Diego Alvarez-Berastegui SOCIB, Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System
  • Ana Gordoa CEAB (CSIC)
  • Asvin P. Torres Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centre Oceanogràfic de les Balears
  • Vicenç Moltó Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centre Oceanogràfic de les Balears
  • Ananda Pascual IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB)
  • Fernando De La Gándara Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia
  • Francisco Alemany Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centre Oceanogràfic de les Balears

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.03759.28A

Keywords:

bluefin tuna, larvae, geostrophic currents, transport cage, Mediterranean

Abstract


Most of the Atlantic bluefin tuna caught by the purse-seine fleet in the Mediterranean Sea are transferred alive into transport cages and towed to coastal facilities where they are fattened. This major fishery is targeting aggregations of reproductive bluefin tuna that continue spawning within the transport cages. Our study is the first attempt to assess the viability of the spawning events within transport cages placed offshore in a priori favourable locations for larval survival. The study was conducted in June 2010 in the Balearic Sea, a main spawning area for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean. The location of two transport cages, one with wild and one with captive tuna, coincide with the situation of the chlorophyll front using satellite imagery as a proxy for the salinity front between resident surface waters and those of recent Atlantic origin. The results showed that bluefin tuna eggs were spawned almost every day within the two cages but few or no larvae were found. The expected larval densities estimated after applying mortality curves to the daily egg densities observed in the cages were higher than the sampled larval densities. The trajectories of the eggs after hatching estimated from a particle tracking model based on observed geostrophic currents and a drifter deployed adjacent to the cage suggest that larvae were likely to be caught close to the cages within the sampling dates. Spawning events in captive tuna in transport cages may hatch into larvae though they may experience higher mortality rates than expected in natural populations. The causes of the larval mortality are further discussed in the text. Such studies should be repeated in other spawning areas in the Mediterranean if spawning in cages located offshore in areas favourable a priori for larval survival is likely to be considered a management measurement to minimize the impact of purse-seine fishing on tuna.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alemany F., Quintanilla L., Velez-Belchi P., Garcia A., Cortes D., Rodriguez J.M., de Puelles M.L.F., Gonzalez-Pola C., Lopez-Jurado J.L. 2010. Characterization of the spawning habitat of Atlantic bluefin tuna and related species in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean). Progr. Oceanogr. 86: 21-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2010.04.014

Anon 2009. Report of the 2008 Atlantic bluefin tuna stock assessment session (Madrid, Spain, June 23 to July 4, 2008). Collect. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT 64: 1-352.

Boyce D.G., Tittersor D.P., Worm B. 2008. Effects of temperature on global patterns of tuna and billfish richness. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 355: 267-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps07237

Bretherton F., Davis R., Fandry C. 1976. A technique for objective analysis and design of oceanographic experiments applied to MODE-73. Deep-Sea Res. I 23: 559-582.

Corriero A., Zupa R., Bello G., Mylonas C.C., Deflorio M., Genovese S., Basilone G., Buscaino G., Buffa G., Pousis C., De Metrio G., Santamaria N. 2011. Evidence that severe acute stress and starvation induce rapid atresia of ovarian vitellogenic follicles in Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (L.) (Osteichthyes: Scombridae). J. Fish. Dis. 34: 853-860. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2761.2011.01303.x

Davis T.L.O., Jenkins G.P., Young J.W. 1990. Patterns of Horizontal Distribution of the Larvae of Southern Bluefin (Thunnus-Maccoyii) and Other Tuna in the Indian Ocean. J. Plankton Res. 12: 1295-1314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plankt/12.6.1295

Davis TLO, Lyne V, Jenkins GP. 1991. Advection, dispersion and mortality of a patch of southern bluefin tuna larvae Thunnus-maccoyii in the East-Indian Ocean. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 73: 33-45 http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps073033

De la Gándara F., Ortega A., Belmonte A. and Mylonas C.C. 2011. Spontaneous spawning of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus kept in captivity. In: Proceedings of the Aquaculture Europe 2011. European Aquaculture Society, Rhodes (Greece), October 18-21, pp. 249-250.

De Metrio G., Bridges C.R., Mylonas C.C., Caggiano M., Deflorio M., Santamaria N., Zupa R., Pousis C., Vassallo-Agius R., Gordin H., Corriero A. 2010. Spawning induction and large-scale collection of fertilized eggs in captive Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L.) and the first larval rearing efforts. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 26: 596-599. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2010.01475.x

De Stefano V., Van Der Heijden, P.G. 2007. Bluefin tuna fishing and ranching: a difficult management problem. New Medit. 6(2): 59. Druon J.N., Fromentin J.M., Aulanier F., Heikkonen J. 2011. Potential feeding and spawning habitats of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 439: 223-240.

Duclerc J., Sacchi J., Piccinetti C., Piccinetti-Manfrin G., Dicenta A., Barrois J.-M. 1973. Nouvelles données sur la reproduction du thon rouge (Thunnus thynnus L.) et d'autres espèces de thonidés en Mediterranée. Rev. Trav. Pêches Marit. 37: 163-176.

Feldman G.C., McClain C.R. 2012.Ocean Color Web. http://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov

Fromentin J.M., Powers J.E. 2005. Atlantic bluefin tuna: population dynamics, ecology, fisheries and management. Fish. Fish. 6: 281-306 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2979.2005.00197.x

Garcia A., Cortes D., Ramirez T., Fehri-Bedoui R., Alemany F., Rodriguez J.M., Carpena A., Álvarez J.P. 2006. First data on growth and nucleic acid and protein content of field-captured Mediterranean bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) and albacore (Thunnus alalunga) tuna larvae: a comparative study. Sci. Mar. 70S2: 67-78.

Gomis D., Ruiz S., Pedder M. A. 2001. Diagnostic analysis of the 3D ageostrophic circulation from a multivariate spatial interpolation of CTD and ADCP data. Deep-Sea Res. I 48: 269-295. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0637(00)00060-1

Gordoa A., Olivar M.P., Arevalo R., Vi-as J., Moli B., Illas X. 2009. Determination of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) spawning time within a transport cage in the western Mediterranean. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 66: 2205-2210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsp211

Hansson L.J., Moeslund O., Kiørboe T., Riisgård H.U. 2005. Clearance rates of jellyfish and their potential predation impact on zooplankton and fish larvae in a neritic ecosystem (Limfjorden, Denmark). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 304: 117-131. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps304117

ICCAT. 2010. Report of the 2010 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Stock Assessment Session. ((Madrid, Spain, 2010). http://www.iccat.es/Documents/Meetings/Docs/2010_BFT_ASSESS_REP_ENG.pdf).

Kirchhoff N.T., Rough K.M., Nowak B.F. 2011. Moving Cages Further Offshore: Effects on Southern Bluefin Tuna, T. maccoyii, Parasites, Health and Performance. PLoS ONE 6(8): e23705. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0023705

Landry M., Ohman M., Goericke R., Stukel M., Barbeau K., Bundy R., Kahru M. 2012. Pelagic community responses to a deep-water front in the California Current Ecosystem: overview of the A-Front study. J. Plankton Res. 34: 739-748. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbs025

Lang K.L., Grimes C.B., Shaw R.F. 1994. Variations in the age and growth of yellowfin tuna larvae, Thunnus albacares, collected about Mississippi River plume. Environ. Biol. Fish. 39: 259-270. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00005128

López-Jurado J.L., Marcos M., Monserrat S. 2008. Hydrographic conditions affecting two fishing grounds of Mallorca islands (Western Mediterranean) during the IDEA project (2003-2004). J. Mar. Syst. 71: 303-315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2007.03.007

MacKenzie B.R., Mosegaard H., Rosenberg A.A. 2009. Impending collapse of bluefin tuna in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean. Conserv. Lett. 2: 25-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00039.x

Margulies D., Suter J.M., Hunt S.L., Olson R.J., Scholey V.P., Wexler J.B., Nakazawa A. 2007. Spawning and early development of captive yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Fish. Bull. 105: 249-265.

Masuda R. 2006. Ontogeny of anti-predator behavior in hatchery-reared jack mackerel Trachurus japonicas larvae and juveniles: patchiness formation, swimming capability, and interaction with jellyfish. Fish. Sci. 72: 1225-1235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1444-2906.2006.01280.x

Masuma S., Miyashita S., Yamamoto H., Kumai H. 2008. Status of bluefin tuna farming, broodstock management, breeding and fingerling production in Japan. Rev. Fish. Sci. 16: 385-390. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10641260701484325

Millot C., Taupier-Letage I. 2005. Circulation in the Mediterranean Sea. In: The Mediterranean Sea. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. Volume 5 part K of The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, pp. 323-334.

Miyashita S., Sawada Y., Okada T., Murata O., Kumai H. 2001. Morphological development and growth of laboratory-reared larval and juvenile Thunnus thynnus (Pisces: Scombridae). Fish. Bull. 99: 601-616.

Mylonas C.C., Bridges C.R., Gordin H., Belmonte Ríos A., García A., de la Gándara F., Fauvel C., Suquet M., Medina A., Papadaki M., Heinisch G., De Metrio G., Corriero A., Vassallo-Agius R., Guzmán J.M., Ma-anos E., Zohar Y. 2007. Preparation and administration of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) implants for the artificial control of reproductive maturation in captive-reared Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus). Rev. Fish. Sci. 15: 183-210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10641260701484572

Mylonas C.C., Corriero A., de la Gandara F., Belmonte A. 2010. Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) farming and fattening in the Mediterranean Sea. Rev. Fish. Sci. 18: 266-280. OceanColor. 2011. Chlorophyll operational algorithm. http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ANALYSIS/ocv6/.

Offshore Aquaculture Technology Platform (OATP). 2007. Evaluation of the promotion of Offshore Aquaculture through a technology platform: Summary Report from the International Workshop on Offshore Aquaculture, Dublin. Contract Number 044290. Available: http://offshoreaqua.com/articles.php. Accessed 2013.

Ottolenghi F. 2008. Capture-based aquaculture of bluefin tuna. In: Lovatelli A., Holthus P.F. (eds), Capture-based aquaculture. Global overview. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 508. Rome, FAO, pp. 169-182.

Pascual A., Gomis D., Haney R.L., Ruiz S. 2004. A quasigeostrophic analysis of a meander in the Palamós Canyon: vertical velocity, geopotential tendency, and a relocation technique. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 34: 2274-2287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(2004)034<2274:AQAOAM>2.0.CO;2

Pedder M. 1993. Interpolation and filtering of spatial observations using successive corrections and gaussian filters. Mon. Weather Rev. 121: 2889-2902. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1993)121<2889:IAFOSO>2.0.CO;2

Pinot J.M., Tintoré J., Gomis D. 1995. Multivariate analysis of the surface circulation in the Balearic Sea. Prog. Oceanogr. 36: 343-344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0079-6611(96)00003-1

Press, W.H., Teukolsky, S.A., Vetterling, W.T., and Flannery, B.P. 2007. Numerical recipes 3rd edition: The art of scientific computing. Cambridge University Press.

Reglero P., Urtizberea A., Torres A.P., Alemany F., Fiksen Ø. 2011. Cannibalism among size classes of larvae may be a substantial mortality component in tuna. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 433: 205-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps09187

Reglero P., Ciannelli L., Alvarez-Berastegui D., Balbín R., López-Jurado J.L., Alemany F. 2012. Geographically and environmentally driven spawning distributions of tuna species in the western Mediterranean Sea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 463: 273-284 http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps09800

Rodriguez-Roda J., Dicenta A. 1981. Areas de puesta del atún, melva y bonito en las costas de Espa-a y Marruecos. ICCAT Collective Volume of Scientific Papers 15(2): 278-283.

Safina C. 1993. Bluefin tuna in the West Atlantic: Negligent management and the making of an endangered species. Conserv. Biol. 7(2): 229-234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1993.07020229.x

Satoh K., Tanaka Y., Wahashi M. 2008. Variations in the instantaneous mortality rate between larval patches of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Fish. Res. 89: 248-256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2007.09.003

Satoh K. 2010. Horizontal and vertical distribution of larvae of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis in patches entrained in mesoscale eddies. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 404: 227-240. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps08431

Sawada Y., Okada T., Miyashita S., Murata O., Kumai H. 2005. Completion of the Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel) life cycle. Aquaculture Res. 36: 413-421. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2005.01222.x

Selfdott. 2010. SELFDOTT REPORT 2009 http://hdl.handle.net/10508/356 279 pp.

Selfdott. 2012. SELFDOTT REPORT 2010-2011 http://hdl.handle.net/10508/1118 488 pp.

Scott G.P., Turner S.C., Grimes C.B., Richards W.J., Brothers E.B. 1993. Indices of larval bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, abundance in the Gulf of Mexico; modelling variability in growth, mortality, and gear selectivity. Bull. Mar. Sci. 53: 912-929.

Torres A.P., Reglero P., Balbín R., Urtizberea A., Alemany F. 2011. Coexistence of larvae of tuna species and other fish in the surface mixed layer in the NW Mediterranean. J. Plankton Res. 33: 1793-1812. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbr078

Downloads

Published

2013-12-30

How to Cite

1.
Reglero P, Balbín R, Ortega A, Alvarez-Berastegui D, Gordoa A, Torres AP, Moltó V, Pascual A, De La Gándara F, Alemany F. First attempt to assess the viability of bluefin tuna spawning events in offshore cages located in an a priori favourable larval habitat. Sci. mar. [Internet]. 2013Dec.30 [cited 2024Mar.29];77(4):585-94. Available from: https://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1484

Issue

Section

Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 > >>