Determining natal origin for improved management of Atlantic bluefin tuna

Effective sustainable management of marine fisheries requires that assessed management units (that is, fish stocks) correspond to biological populations. This issue has long been discussed in the context of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT, Thunnus thynnus) management, which currently considers two unmix...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Frontiers in ecology and the environment 2019-10, Vol.17 (8), p.439-444
Main Authors:	Rodríguez-Ezpeleta, Naiara, Díaz-Arce, Natalia, Walter, John F, Richardson, David E, Rooker, Jay R, Nøttestad, Leif, Hanke, Alex R, Franks, James S, Deguara, Simeon, Lauretta, Matthew V, Addis, Piero, Varela, Jose Luis, Fraile, Igaratza, Goñi, Nicolas, Abid, Noureddine, Alemany, Francisco, Oray, Isik K, Quattro, Joseph M, Sow, Fambaye N, Itoh, Tomoyuki, Karakulak, F Saadet, Pascual-Alayón, Pedro J, Santos, Miguel N, Tsukahara, Yohei, Lutcavage, Molly, Fromentin, Jean-Marc, Arrizabalaga, Haritz
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Agricultural sciences Animal genetics Biodiversity and Ecology Environmental Sciences Fisheries Fisheries management Genetics Genomes Homing Larvae Life Sciences Management Marine fish Populations and Evolution RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS Sciences and technics of fishery Spawning Spawning grounds Thunnus thynnus Tuna
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Summary:	Effective sustainable management of marine fisheries requires that assessed management units (that is, fish stocks) correspond to biological populations. This issue has long been discussed in the context of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT, Thunnus thynnus) management, which currently considers two unmixed stocks but does not take into account how individuals born in each of the two main spawning grounds (Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea) mix in feeding aggregations throughout the Atlantic Ocean. Using thousands of genome-wide molecular markers obtained from larvae and young of the year collected at the species’ main spawning grounds, we provide what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first direct genetic evidence for “natal homing” in ABFT. This has facilitated the development of an accurate, cost-effective, and non-invasive tool for tracing the genetic origin of ABFT that allows for the assignment of catches to their population of origin, which is crucial for ensuring that ABFT management is based on biologically meaningful stock units rather than simply on catch location.
ISSN:	1540-9295 1540-9309