Characterization of the spawning habitat of Atlantic bluefin tuna and related species in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean)

Alemany, F.; Quintanilla, José María Suárez; Vélez‐Belchí, P.; García, A.; Cortés, Dolores; Rodrı́guez, J.M.; Puelles, María Luz Fernández de; González-Pola, César; López-Jurado, J.L.

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2010.04.014

Cited by 142 publications

(189 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The mean surface temperatures within the mixed surface layers in the study area can vary by 5°C during the tuna spawning season and by a broader range for the extreme temperature values (Alemany et al 2010). Given that one of our main findings is the temperature dependence of cannibalistic mortality, recruitment variability from year to year may be expected due to slight variations in temperature over the spawning season.…”

Section: Summary and Broader Potential Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Interestingly, the highest densities of tuna larvae are often found in the least productive waters (Alemany et al 2006(Alemany et al , 2010. The actual depth of tuna larval occurrence is usually confined to the upper mixed layer above 20-25 m depth , Morote et al 2008, Llopiz et al 2010, Satoh 2010.…”

Section: Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, temperature influences cohort densities during the hatching period and the resulting recruitments by driving the intensity of piscivory and cannibalism that is strongly coupled to the growth of both predators and prey (Rice et al 1997, Claessen et al 2000. Despite interspecific differences, tuna generally spawn in the Balearic Sea when temperatures are between 20 to 27°C, coinciding with the warming of the surface water layer during the summer (Alemany et al 2010). Therefore, our simulations are capturing processes that can occur during the hatching period of tuna.…”

Section: Mortality Effect Of Size-surfing Cannibalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, we obtained field estimates of zooplankton abundance and spatial coexistence of different tuna larval sizes. The study site is located around the Balearic Islands in the NW Mediterranean Sea, which is a main spawning site worldwide for bluefin tuna and other large pelagic fish species (Alemany et al 2006(Alemany et al , 2010. The 3 most abundant species of tuna are considered in this study: bluefin Thunnus thynnus (BFT), albacore Thunnus alalunga (ALB) and bullet tuna Auxis rochei (BT).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cannibalism among size classes of larvae may be a substantial mortality component in tuna

Reglero¹,

Urtizberea²,

Torres³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Cannibalism among size classes may reduce starvation and improve survival of larval tuna in oligotrophic ocean areas, but it may also be a substantial mortality component depending on the availability of alternative prey. Here, we combine laboratory and field data on tuna larvae with a model of larval foraging and bioenergetics to explore the role of cannibalism in cohort development at different temperatures, durations of hatching period, hatching larval densities and natural mortality rates. Prey fields (zooplankton densities and co-occurrence of different larval stages of 3 species of tuna) were established from cruises in a main tuna spawning area around the Balearic Islands (Mediterranean Sea). Results suggest that a pure zooplankton diet is frequently insufficient to sustain larval growth. Piscivory can be a major source of larval mortality among tuna species and larvae hatched early can feed on abundant larvae of smaller size and have fewer predators themselves. We show how the intensity of cannibalism depends on the temperature dependent growth rate and the resulting relative size distribution when eggs are released continuously over a period of a few weeks. The predator-prey size distribution and the relative densities of these voracious larvae may produce overcompensation in recruitment under some environmental conditions.

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Section: Summary and Broader Potential Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mortality Effect Of Size-surfing Cannibalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Cannibalism among size classes of larvae may be a substantial mortality component in tuna

Reglero¹,

Urtizberea²,

Torres³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the Mediterranean Sea, the species has been recorded occasionally, especially in the western part, where it appears to spawn (Alemany et al, 2010). Although recorded, there are no recent observations of the species in Italian waters; thus, it is considered rare (Costa 1991) and little is known about its biology and migration in the Mediterranean Sea (Di Natale et al, 2009).…”

Section: Pectoral Finrays 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (December 2017)

Stamouli

Akel

Azzurro³

et al. 2018

Medit. Mar. Sci.

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The “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” series includes new records of marine species found in the Mediterranean basin and/or information on the spatial distribution of already established species of particular interest. The current article presents information on 20 marine taxa classified per country according to their geographic position in the Mediterranean, from west to east. The new records per ecoregion are as follows: Algeria: the first record of the fish Etrumeus golanii is reported along the Algerian coast. Tunisia: the alien jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata is reported for the first time in the Gulf of Gabès. Italy: the first record of Siganus rivulatus in the Strait of Sicily and a new record of Katsuwonus pelamis from the central Tyrrhenian Sea are reported. The establishment of the isopod of the genus Mesanthura in the northern Tyrrhenian with some notes on its ecology are also included. Croatia: signs of establishment of the Lessepsian Siganus luridus and the occurrence of the alien mollusc Rapana venosa are reported. Albania: the first record of the elasmobranch Alopias superciliosus and a recent sighting of the rare monk seal Monachus monachus in Albanian waters are given. Greece: signs of the establishment of the fish Parupeneus forsskali and of the ascidian Hermania momus in Hellenic Aegean waters are reported. Turkey: a new record of the fish P. forsskali and of the Acarea of the genus Acaromantis and Simognathus are given, while the first case of Remora australis in association with delphinids and the occurrence of the sea star Coscinasterias tenuispina are reported. Also, the establishment of the two alien species Isognomon legumen and Viriola sp. [cf. corrugata] are presented. Egypt: the fish Bathygobius cyclopterus is reported for the first time in Mediterranean Sea waters. Also, a new record of Pagellus bogaraveo and a first record of Seriola fasciata in Egyptian Mediterranean waters are reported. Lebanon: the first record of Dondice banyulensis is presented.

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Spawning site distribution of a bluefin tuna reduces jellyfish predation on early life stages

Ottmann

Fiksen

Martín

et al. 2021

Limnology & Oceanography

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Bluefin tunas across the world migrate long distances to spawn in particularly warm and oligotrophic areas constrained by oceanographic fronts. The low abundance of predators in these areas increases survival chances of their early life stages, but its importance for choice of spawning habitat is unknown. Here, we use estimated clearance rates and data on spatial distributions of Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae Thunnus thynnus and metaephyrae of the jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca to quantify predation at a major spawning ground in the Mediterranean Sea. We found that high densities of P. noctiluca can rapidly deplete tuna eggs and preflexion larvae, but their patchy distribution and low spatial and temporal overlap results in overall low predation. The specific distribution of the spawning sites suggests that bluefin tunas may use local oceanography as cues to spawn outside areas with high predator densities.

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Characterization of the spawning habitat of Atlantic bluefin tuna and related species in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean)

Cited by 142 publications

References 23 publications

Cannibalism among size classes of larvae may be a substantial mortality component in tuna

Cannibalism among size classes of larvae may be a substantial mortality component in tuna

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (December 2017)

Spawning site distribution of a bluefin tuna reduces jellyfish predation on early life stages

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