Veterinar, Vol. 58. No. 1., 2020.
Review article
Farming of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus Linnaeus, 1758): biology, natural spawning and capture based aquaculture
Ivan Ćurić
orcid.org/0000-0002-9488-928X
Leon Grubišić
; Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split, Croatia
Krešimir Matanović
orcid.org/0000-0002-8878-3526
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is the largest member of the Scombridae family. It can reach over 700 kg in weight and over 3 m in length. The bluefin tuna is native to the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterannean and the Black Sea and its population is divided by the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) into the western stock, spawning in the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern stock, spawning in the Mediterranean Sea. Tuna farming is based on the fattening of juveniles caught from wild populations. Juveniles are caught using purse seine nets, transported, and stocked in floating net cages. European Union member countries are allowed to catch individuals larger than 30 kg, for the purpose of fattening. For Croatia and Italy, a minimum size of 8 kg applies for bluefin tuna caught in the Adriatic Sea for farming purposes only. The farming period of small juveniles lasts up to 36 months, compared to the much shorter process when larger specimens are stocked. Capture based aquaculture requires the supply of tuna juveniles and small oily fish for tuna fattening. Fishing quotas are regulated by the ICCAT and limit any increase in production. Reduction of fishing quotas would endanger the supply of farms with juvenile tuna and would jeopardize production, that earns Croatia more than 250 million HRK annually.
Keywords
bluefin tuna; Thunnus thynnus; fishing quotas; tuna farming
Hrčak ID:
241626
URI
Publication date:
20.7.2020.
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