Haritz Arrizabalaga, I. Arregi, A. Medina, N. Rodriquez Ezpeleta,

J.M. Fromentin, I. Fraile

Session 1, Talk 2, 18/1/16 @ 1030 hrs

The largest proportion of bluefin individuals living in the Atlantic and adjacent seas are born in the Mediterranean Sea. The life history and migrations of Mediterranean Bluefin tuna are complex. Many new studies have been conducted in recent years, but in many cases, far from solving the original uncertainties, they allowed to discover extra levels of complexity that require additional research. The complexity of Mediterranean bluefin tuna biology, and the imperfect and sometimes controversial scientific knowledge, impacts the ability to assess stock status and the successful management. In this presentation, current knowledge on life history and migrations is reviewed, focusing on the controversial biological topics, their management implications, and the research that would be needed to address them and allow a better “science-based management”. The main topics reviewed include population structure, migrations and mixing, reproduction, age structure, productivity and recruitment.

Contact:  H. Arrizabalaga, Principal Researcher, AZTI Tecnalia, Marine Research Division, Spain, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.