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A rapid ontogenetic shift in the diet of juvenile yellowfin tuna from Hawaii

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Abstract

Within the tropical and subtropical oceans, tuna forage opportunistically on a wide variety of prey. However, little is known about the trophic ecology of the smallest size classes which play an important role in stock assessments and fisheries management. The foraging behavior of yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares (23.5–154.0 cm FL), collected from nearshore Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) around Oahu was studied using stable isotope and stomach contents analyses. Emphasis was placed on small juveniles. Yellowfin tuna changed their diets significantly between 45 and 50 cm forklength (ca. 1.5 kg). Smallest size classes fed on planktonic organisms inhabiting the shallow mixed layer, primarily larval stomatopod and decapod crustaceans, whereas larger tuna fed on teleosts and adult Oplophorus gracilirostris, a vertically migrating mesopelagic species of shrimp. When interpreting the variation in prey δ 15N values, we considered both their relative trophic position and δ 15N values of the nitrogen at the base of the food web. Based on the distinct diet shift of the yellowfin tuna, demonstrated by both isotope and stomach content analyses, we propose a critical mass threshold was reached at about 45 cm FL that enabled sufficient endothermic capability to allow tuna to access prey dwelling in deeper, colder water. These ontogenetic changes in foraging range and commensurate shift in diet of small tunas would affect their vulnerability to fishing pressure.

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Acknowledgments

We thank J. Tanimoto, T. Rust, and D. Cuny for assistance with preparatory isotope analysis work, and G. Ivey for assistance with stomach content analysis. We thank D. Itano for being invaluable in field collection and B. Fry for thoughtful comments throughout our research. Two anonymous reviewers helped improve the manuscript. This research was funded by Cooperative Agreement NA17RJ1230 between the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA of any of its subdivisions. B. S. Graham was supported by a Pelagic Fisheries Research Program graduate assistantship. This is SOEST contribution number 6788.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Brittany S. Graham

  2. Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA

    Dean Grubbs & Kim Holland

  3. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Brian N. Popp

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  1. Brittany S. Graham
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  2. Dean Grubbs
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  3. Kim Holland
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Correspondence to Brittany S. Graham.

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Communicated by G.F. Humphrey, Sydney

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Graham, B.S., Grubbs, D., Holland, K. et al. A rapid ontogenetic shift in the diet of juvenile yellowfin tuna from Hawaii. Mar Biol 150, 647–658 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-006-0360-y

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