Spatial–temporal pattern of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L. 1758) gonad maturation across the Mediterranean Sea

Heinisch, Gilad; Corriero, Aldo; Medina, Antonio; Abascal, F.J.; Serna, Jose-Miguel De La; Robert, Vincent; Ríos, Antonio Belmonte; Garcı́a, Antonio G.; Gándara, Fernando de la; Fauvel, Christian; Bridges, C.R.; Mylonas, Constantinos C.; Karakulak, F. Saadet; Oray, I. K.; Metrio, G. De; Rosenfeld, Hanna; Gordin, H.

doi:10.1007/s00227-008-0955-6

Cited by 62 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Furthermore, the general timing of the spawning as well as the east−west sequence of favourable spawning habitat in the Mediterranean Sea from mid-May to mid-July is also correctly estimated by the model. This result is in agreement with (1) studies on ABFT gonadosomatic index where maximum values were found in late May and early June in the Levantine Sea (eastern Mediterranean Sea), and 2 and 4 wk later in the central (Malta) and western (Balearic Islands) locations, respectively (Heinisch et al 2008) and (2) the general movement of the purse seine fleet tracking ABFT spawners that start fishing in the Eastern Mediterranean in May and end in July in the Balearic Islands area. The outputs that are not fully supported by current knowledge mostly concern the spawning habitat, especially the areas of the Ligurian Sea, east of Sicily and the northern Aegean Sea.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Potential feeding and spawning habitats of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea

Druon¹,

Fromentin²,

Aulanier³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus (ABFT) is a fish of high market value which has recently become strongly overexploited, notably in the Mediterranean Sea. This area is an essential habitat for ABFT reproduction and growth. We present here an approach for deriving the daily mapping of potential ABFT feeding and spawning habitats based on satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) and chl a concentration. The feeding habitat was mainly derived from the simultaneous occurrence of oceanic fronts of temperature and chl a content while the spawning habitat was mostly inferred from the heating of surface waters. Generally, higher chl a contents were found to be preferred for the feeding habitat and a minimum SST value was found for the spawning habitat. Both habitats were defined by the presence of relevant oceanographic features and are therefore potential and functionally-linked habitats. This approach provides, for the first time, a synoptic view of the potential ABFT habitats in the Mediterranean Sea. The model performs well in areas where both satellite data and ABFT observations are available, as 80% of presence data are in the vicinity of potential habitats. The computed monthly, seasonal and annual maps of potential feeding and spawning habitat of ABFT from 2003 to 2009 are in good agreement with current knowledge on ABFT. Overall, the habitat size of ABFT is about 6% of the Mediterranean Sea surface. The results displayed a strong seasonality in habitat size and locations as well as high year-to-year variations (30 to 60%), particularly for the potential spawning habitat, which is key information for evaluating the utility of ABFT Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Potential feeding and spawning habitats of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea

Druon¹,

Fromentin²,

Aulanier³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…(31) using International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) data on ABFT life history traits and considering natural mortality alone. This value could be an overestimation of the contemporary t g either for the western Mediterranean ABFT, for which the mean age of spawning stock is ∼8 years (∼200+ cm) or for the eastern Mediterranean ABFT, whose length mode appears to be even lower (∼75 cm) (22). However, t g = 13 years could be a better choice for the historical samples and for the period of our temporal sampling.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Both methods estimated N e by comparing historical and contemporary samples from the same area and assuming a given generation time (t g ). We initially used for the CWM ABFT a t g of 8 years, which approximately corresponds to the length mode of ∼200+ cm observed in the catch composition from this area (22). These methods assume discrete generations, which was not the case here.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Size-dependent movements and spawning in different areas and periods have been documented (15,(21)(22)(23). Genetic variation among three geographical samples suggested that at least two subpopulations inhabit and persist over short time periods (3 years) in the western and eastern Mediterranean Sea, yielding Wright's genetic variance (F ST ) values within the Mediterranean Sea between 0.0007 and 0.0087 (12,24).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatio-temporal population structuring and genetic diversity retention in depleted Atlantic Bluefin tuna of the Mediterranean Sea

Riccioni

Landi²,

Ferrara³

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

115

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Fishery genetics have greatly changed our understanding of population dynamics and structuring in marine fish. In this study, we show that the Atlantic Bluefin tuna (ABFT, Thunnus thynnus), an oceanic predatory species exhibiting highly migratory behavior, large population size, and high potential for dispersal during early life stages, displays significant genetic differences over space and time, both at the fine and large scales of variation. We compared microsatellite variation of contemporary (n = 256) and historical (n = 99) biological samples of ABFTs of the central-western Mediterranean Sea, the latter dating back to the early 20th century. Measures of genetic differentiation and a general heterozygote deficit suggest that differences exist among population samples, both now and 96-80 years ago. Thus, ABFTs do not represent a single panmictic population in the Mediterranean Sea. Statistics designed to infer changes in population size, both from current and past genetic variation, suggest that some Mediterranean ABFT populations, although still not severely reduced in their genetic potential, might have suffered from demographic declines. The short-term estimates of effective population size are straddled on the minimum threshold (effective population size = 500) indicated to maintain genetic diversity and evolutionary potential across several generations in natural populations.ancient DNA | effective population size | genetic structure | large pelagic fishes | Thunnus thynnus

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“…This period coincides with the species' spawning period in the region (Corriero et al 2003, Karakulak et al 2004, Heinisch et al 2008). More recently, Druon et al (2011) identified the potential bluefin tuna spawning season as occurring from mid-May to July, gradually building up from eastern to western Mediterranean waters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Discovering where bluefin tuna, <i>Thunnus thynnus</i>, might go: using environmental and fishery data to map potential tuna habitat in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Damalas¹,

Megalofonou²

2011

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: Based on a dataset derived from commercial fisheries in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in 1998-2005, we applied generalized additive models (GAMs) to investigate the relative influence of a range of environmental factors on catch rates of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus Linnaeus, 1785). GAM analyses were conducted by separately modelling (1) the probability of making a catch (encountering a school), and (2) the positive catch rates (school size). Results suggested intra-annual variations in tuna distribution and revealed interesting associations with some environmental features, lunar periodicity being the most distinctive one. Probability of encountering a school peaked in late spring months, eastwards, at water temperatures above 22°C and around the full moon. Size of school was more likely to be larger in northeasternmost regions and in the vicinity of land in late spring, when the percentage of lunar disc illumination was higher. A moderate but continuous annual decline in the probability of encountering a bluefin tuna school was detected from the models' outputs. The models were used as an indication of preference or association for the selected environmental variables. Based on these associations, an indirect identification of the bluefin tuna potential habitat was obtained and used to map distributions in the eastern Mediterranean region.Keywords: bluefin tuna, GAM, habitat, SST, lunar index, Mediterranean, management. RESUMEN: Descubriendo a donde van los atunes rojos, Thunnus Thynnus: uso de datos ambientales y pesqueros en mapas del hábitat del atún en el Mediterráneo Oriental. -Se aplican modelos aditivos generalizados (GAMs) a la investigación de la influencia relativa de una serie de factores medioambientales en las tasas de captura de atún rojo Atlántico, mediante el uso de datos derivados de las capturas comerciales en el Mediterráneo oriental. Estos análisis se llevaron a cabo separadamente para: (1) la probabilidad de captura (encuentro con un banco) y (2) la tasa de captura (tamaño del banco). Ambos factores parecen variar a lo largo del año, y parecen estar asociados con algunos parámetros medioambientales, especialmente la fase lunar. La probabilidad de encontrar un banco de atún es mayor al final de la primavera, cuanto más al este, cuando la temperatura del agua supera los 22°C, y con luna llena. El tamaño del banco es probablemente mayor al final de la primavera, en la región noreste, cuando la luz del disco lunar es más intensa, y cerca de la costa. Los resultados muestran una disminución, moderada pero continua, de la probabilidad de encuentro con un banco de atún rojo. Ciertos modelos GAM se usaron como indicadores de la preferencia o asociación con ciertos factores ambientales. De acuerdo con estas asociaciones, se presenta una identificación indirecta del hábitat potencial del atún rojo, mostrando su distribución espacial en el Mediterraneo oriental.Palabras clave: atún rojo, GAM, hábitat, TSM, indice lunar, Mediterráneo, manejo. December 2012, 691-704, Barcelona (Spain...

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Spatial–temporal pattern of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L. 1758) gonad maturation across the Mediterranean Sea

Cited by 62 publications

References 19 publications

Potential feeding and spawning habitats of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea

Potential feeding and spawning habitats of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea

Spatio-temporal population structuring and genetic diversity retention in depleted Atlantic Bluefin tuna of the Mediterranean Sea

Discovering where bluefin tuna, <i>Thunnus thynnus</i>, might go: using environmental and fishery data to map potential tuna habitat in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

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