Is the southern Bay of Biscay a spawning ground for thunnus thynnus and sarda sarda?

The spawning grounds of the Atlantic Thunnus thynnus are traditionally considered to be the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and the Mediterranean Sea (MED). However, for the western Atlantic, unequivocal evidence of T. thynnus spawning outside the GOM has been presented. In this study, we show evidence for T....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rodríguez, José MaríaM., Johnstone, Carolina, Lozano-Peral, D.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/311810
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/311810
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Centro Oceanográfico de Gijón
Fish larvae
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus
Atlantic bonito
Sarda sarda
spawning
Eastern Atlantic
southern Bay of Biscay
Descripción
Sumario:The spawning grounds of the Atlantic Thunnus thynnus are traditionally considered to be the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and the Mediterranean Sea (MED). However, for the western Atlantic, unequivocal evidence of T. thynnus spawning outside the GOM has been presented. In this study, we show evidence for T. thynnus reproduction outside the MED in the eastern Atlantic. Using opportunistic ichthyoplankton samplings, 9 T. thynnus larvae were collected during July 2010 and 2015, in the Southern Bay of Biscay (SBB). The microscopic identification of Atlantic bluefin larvae, based on morphologic and meristic characters and pigmentation patterns was confirmed by genetic analysis. As for Sarda sarda, the spawning grounds for this species in the eastern Atlantic are located in the neritic regions of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic and of the MED. However, 6 larvae of this species were collected in the SBB since 2001. Therefore, the SBB should be evaluated as a spawning ground for T. thynnus, since its larvae appeared in 33% of the stations sampled during July 2010 in the slope-oceanic region, where this species reproduces.