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Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) Biometrics and Condition.

ABSTRACT: The compiled data for this study represents the first Atlantic and Mediterranean-wide effort to pool all available biometric data for Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) with the collaboration of many countries and scientific groups. Biometric relationships were based on an extensive sampling (over 140,000 fish sampled), covering most of the fishing areas for this species in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Sensitivity analyses were carried out to evaluate the representativeness of sampling and explore the most adequate procedure to fit the weight-length relationship (WLR). The selected model for the WLRs by stock included standardized data series (common measurement types) weighted by the inverse variability. There was little difference between annual stock-specific round weight-straight fork length relationships, with an overall difference of 6% in weight. The predicted weight by month was estimated as an additional component in the exponent of the weight-length function. The analyses of monthly variations of fish condition by stock, maturity state and geographic area reflect annual cycles of spawning and feeding behavior. We update and improve upon the biometric relationships for bluefin currently used by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, by incorporating substantially larger datasets than ever previously compiled, providing complete documentation of sources and employing robust statistical fitting. WLRs and other conversion factors estimated in this study differ from the ones used in previous bluefin stock assessments.

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Marin E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4623980 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe largest of the tuna species, Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), inhabits the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and is considered to be an endangered species, largely a consequence of overfishing. T. thynnus aquaculture, referred to as fattening or farming, is a capture based activity dependent on yearly renewal from the wild. Thus, the development of aquaculture practices independent of wild resources can provide an important contribution towards ensuring security and sustainability of this species in the longer-term. The development of such practices is today greatly assisted by large scale transcriptomic studies.ResultsWe have used pyrosequencing technology to sequence a mixed-tissue normalised cDNA library, derived from adult T. thynnus. A total of 976,904 raw sequence reads were assembled into 33,105 unique transcripts having a mean length of 893 bases and an N50 of 870. Of these, 33.4% showed similarity to known proteins or gene transcripts and 86.6% of them were matched to the congeneric Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) genome, compared to 70.3% for the more distantly related Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) genome. Transcript sequences were used to develop a novel 15 K Agilent oligonucleotide DNA microarray for T. thynnus and comparative tissue gene expression profiles were inferred for gill, heart, liver, ovaries and testes. Functional contrasts were strongest between gills and ovaries. Gills were particularly associated with immune system, signal transduction and cell communication, while ovaries displayed signatures of glycan biosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, transcription, translation, replication and repair.ConclusionsSequence data generated from a novel mixed-tissue T. thynnus cDNA library provide an important transcriptomic resource that can be further employed for study of various aspects of T. thynnus ecology and genomics, with strong applications in aquaculture. Tissue-specific gene expression profiles inferred through the use of novel oligo-microarray can serve in the design of new and more focused transcriptomic studies for future research of tuna physiology and assessment of the welfare in a production environment.

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Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) Biometrics and Condition.

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