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Oceanographic preferences of Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, on their Gulf of Mexico breeding grounds

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Abstract

Electronic tagging and remotely sensed oceanographic data were used to determine the oceanographic habitat use and preferences of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L.) exhibiting behaviors associated with breeding in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Oceanographic habitats used by 28 Atlantic bluefin tuna exhibiting breeding behavior (259 days) were compared with available habitats in the GOM, using Monte Carlo tests and discrete choice models. Habitat utilization and preference patterns for ten environmental parameters were quantified: bathymetry, bathymetric gradient, SST, SST gradient, surface chlorophyll concentration, surface chlorophyll gradient, sea surface height anomaly, eddy kinetic energy, surface wind speed, and surface current speed. Atlantic bluefin tuna exhibited breeding behavior in the western GOM and the frontal zone of the Loop Current. Breeding areas used by the bluefin tuna were significantly associated with bathymetry, SST, eddy kinetic energy, surface chlorophyll concentration, and surface wind speed, with SST being the most important parameter. The bluefin tuna exhibited significant preference for areas with continental slope waters (2,800–3,400 m), moderate SSTs (24–25 and 26–27°C), moderate eddy kinetic energy (251–355 cm2 s−2), low surface chlorophyll concentrations (0.10–0.16 mg m−3), and moderate wind speeds (6–7 and 9–9.5 m s−1). A resource selection function of the bluefin tuna in the GOM was estimated using a discrete choice model and was found to be highly sensitive to SST. These habitat utilization and preference patterns exhibited by breeding bluefin tuna can be used to develop habitat models and estimate the probable breeding areas of bluefin tuna in a dynamic environment.

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Acknowledgments

This study could not have been conducted without the dedication and perseverance of the Tag-A-Giant (TAG) scientific team. We thank the captains and crews of the FVs Calcutta, Bullfrog, Raptor, Tightline, Leslie Anne, 40 Something, Allison, Last Deal, and Shearwater. We thank H. Dewar, M.J.W. Stokesbury, K.C. Weng, S. Beemer, A.C. Seitz, C.J. Farwell, E.D. Prince, T. Williams, T. Sippel, G. Shillinger, and numerous others, for helping to tag bluefin tuna. The National Marine Fisheries Service assisted us greatly in tag recapture. We thank P. Gaspar for providing the surface current data. We were helped greatly by the free access to online oceanographic datasets, which were provided and maintained by NASA, NOAA, AVISO, CLS, and SIO. The manuscript was improved by helpful comments from G. Lawson, G. Somero, F. Micheli, W. Gilly, and three anonymous reviewers. Funding for this study was provided by the NOAA, NSF, Disney Conservation Fund, and the Packard, Pew, and Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundations.

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  1. Tuna Research and Conservation Center, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Oceanview Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, USA

    Steven L. H. Teo, Andre M. Boustany & Barbara A. Block

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  1. Steven L. H. Teo
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  2. Andre M. Boustany
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  3. Barbara A. Block
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Correspondence to Steven L. H. Teo.

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Communicated by J.P. Grassle.

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Teo, S.L.H., Boustany, A.M. & Block, B.A. Oceanographic preferences of Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, on their Gulf of Mexico breeding grounds. Mar Biol 152, 1105–1119 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-007-0758-1

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