Complex migration routes of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) question current population structure paradigm

Movements of Atlantic bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus , ABFT) from specific western Atlantic forage grounds are not well described, and the extent of their spawning areas is mainly surmised. In 2005 and 2006, we deployed 41 pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) on adult Atlantic bluefin tuna off the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 2010-06, Vol.67 (6), p.966-976
Main Authors: Galuardi, Benjamin, Royer, François, Golet, Walt, Logan, John, Neilson, John, Lutcavage, Molly
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Bluefin tuna
Environmental aspects
Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.)
Fish migration
Fisheries management
Fishery management
Fishes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Marine
Metapopulations
Methods
Migration
Population structure
Sea water ecosystems
Site fidelity
Spawning
Synecology
Tagging
Thunnus thynnus
Tuna
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Summary:Movements of Atlantic bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus , ABFT) from specific western Atlantic forage grounds are not well described, and the extent of their spawning areas is mainly surmised. In 2005 and 2006, we deployed 41 pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) on adult Atlantic bluefin tuna off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, and on Georges Bank. During the assumed spawning period, 56% of the tagged ABFT occupied a known spawning area, while 44% were located in distant oceanic regions. Assuming obligate annual spawning, these results are inconsistent with the notion of spawning site fidelity to the Gulf of Mexico. The ocean-wide migrations of adult ABFT tagged on a common forage ground suggest evidence of a metapopulation requiring more spatially explicit management than the current simple two-stock structure.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/F10-033