Electronic tagging of Bluefin Tunas from the Maltese spawning ground suggests size-dependent migration dynamics

The purse seine fishery in the Mediterranean represents about 60% of the international catch for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus). Yet, tagging operations from this segment of the fisheries remain rare and despite its potential importance for management, several aspects related to the migratory behavior of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna from these areas remain unaddressed. In the present manuscript, we report the results of two tagging operations carried out on a commercial purse seiner during two consecutive years in the spawning ground around the Maltese islands in the Central Mediterranean Sea. During these operations, eight individuals were tagged and the results showed that the larger fish (> 200 cm) undertook large-scale migrations outside the Mediterranean, whereas smaller individuals did not. This study suggests that size might affect the migratory behavior of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, and underlines the potential of large-scale tagging operations from spawning grounds to address scientific questions having significant management implications.

Keyword(s)

Thunnus thynnus, Electronic tagging, Large-scale migration, Purse seine, Spawning ground

Full Text

FilePagesSizeAccess
Publisher's official version
107 Mo
Author's final draft
22528 Ko
How to cite
Rouyer Tristan, Bernard Serge, Kerzerho Vincent, Giordano Nicolas, Giordano François, Ellul Salvu, Ellul Giovanni, Derridj Olivier, Canet Remy, Deguara Simeon, Wendling Bertrand, Bonhommeau Sylvain (2022). Electronic tagging of Bluefin Tunas from the Maltese spawning ground suggests size-dependent migration dynamics. Environmental Biology Of Fishes. 105 (5). 635-644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01262-4, https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00768/87952/

Copy this text