The Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), is the largest of the tunas and among the largest of all bony fish, reaching to 3.3 m and 725 kg (Cort et al. 2013). The species is highly migratory and broadly distributed through most of the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas (Figure 1), thanks in large measure to a highly developed thermoregulatory system that allows it to thrive in waters as cold as 3°C (Carey and Lawson 1973, Block et al. 2001). Their great size and power has captivated fishermen and scientists alike since ancient times. Aristotle, Pliny the Elder, and Oppian wrote of them two thousand years ago, and their bones have been excavated from prehistoric sites dating back to the Stone Age (Aristotelis III BC; Plinius 65 CE; Salvini 1738; Ravier and Fromentin 2001; Di Natale 2012, 2014; Puncher et al. 2016).

The fascination with Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT) has only grown in modern times. The demand for bluefin tuna for the sashimi market in Japan fuels a lucrative commercial fishery where a single fish can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. Researchers passionately pursue investigations on ABFT, writing dozens of scientific papers every year. Public interest in this charismatic species, fanned by warnings of overfishing, has risen to a level usually reserved for whales (Porch 2005). The story of ABFT has been told in compelling documentaries and popular books such as Safina’s (1998) Song for the Blue Ocean, Maggio’s (2000a,b) Mattanza, and Ellis’s (2008) Tuna: A Love Story. They even have their own reality show in National Geographic’s Wicked Tuna. As Ellis puts it, ABFT just may be “the worlds best-loved fish.”