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Reproductive status and body condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine, 2000–2002

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Abstract

The reproductive status and body condition of 195 (≥185 cm curved fork length, CFL; assigned age 7 and above) Atlantic bluefin tuna were assessed in the Gulf of Maine during the commercial fishing season of June–October, 2000–2002. Given the distance between known spawning and feeding grounds, the prevailing paradigm for Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus, L.) suggests that the most likely histological state for females arriving in the Gulf of Maine after spawning would be a resting or quiescent state with little or no perigonadal fat. Alternatively, the presence of mature or mature-inactive histological states in some females supports a more varied or individualistic model for bluefin reproduction. No relationship was found between body condition and reproductive status. Males were found in all reproductive stages, but were more likely to be in spawning condition (stages 4 and 5) or a mature-inactive state (stage 6) in June and July. Female bluefin tuna were found in stage 1 (immature or non-spawning) and stage 6 (mature-inactive). Stage 6 females were only present in June and July and smaller females (<235 cm CFL) were more likely to be in stage 6 than large females (>235 cm CFL) sampled during those same months. The presence of smaller females in stage 6 arriving at the same time as larger females in stage 1 indicates that Western Atlantic bluefin tuna may have an asynchronous reproductive schedule and may mature at a smaller size than the currently accepted paradigm suggests.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mike Blanchard, Matt Bunnell, John Caldwell, Bill Chaprales, Rocky Chase, Scott Drabinowicz, Mark Godfried, Eric and John Hesse, Jeff Tutein, Dave and Greg Walinski, Cape Quality Bluefin and Fresh Water Fish for collecting samples. We also thank Jennifer Bowdoin and Jennifer Albright for help with sampling, Kurt Schaefer and Antonio Medina for advice on histology, Chris Bridges for hormonal analysis, Ben Galuardi for spatial analysis, and Frank Cyganowski and the late Peter C. Wilson for use of unpublished materials. This work was supported by NOAA Grant NA04NMF4550391 to M. Lutcavage. All work was done under compliance with UNH IACUC and NOAA Exempted Fishing Permits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, 02125, USA

    Jennifer Goldstein & Solange Brault

  2. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Scott Heppell

  3. Department of Natural Resources, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Andrew Cooper

  4. Large Pelagics Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Molly Lutcavage

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  1. Jennifer Goldstein
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  2. Scott Heppell
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Correspondence to Jennifer Goldstein.

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Communicated by J.P. Grassle.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Station results for bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, caught during research longline cruises conducted by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries from March 30 to April 23, 1965

Cruise

Spec. #

Station

Lat.

Deg N

Long.

Deg W

Date

CFL* (cm)

Weight (kg)

Sex

Condition

64-3

1

1

38.68

67.62

19-Apr

188

109

F

Inactive

64-3

2

1

38.68

67.62

19-Apr

157

79

M

Inactive

64-3

3

1

38.68

67.62

19-Apr

176

95

M

Inactive

64-3

5

2

38.13

67.55

20-Apr

201

109

F

Inactive

64-3

7

2

38.13

67.55

20-Apr

185

91

F

Inactive

64-3

9

2

38.13

67.55

20-Apr

183

79

F

Inactive

64-3

10

3

38.05

67.10

20-Apr

180

91

F

Inactive

64-3

11

3

38.05

67.10

20-Apr

184

102

M

Inactive

64-3

12

3

38.05

67.10

20-Apr

163

72

F

Inactive

64-3

88

22

38.07

68.02

13-May

197

147

F

Spent

64-3

142

40

38.63

68.17

31-May

250

234

F

Enlarged

65-3

1

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

195

112

M

Spent

65-3

2

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

190

110

M

Spent

65-3

3

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

169

78

F

Immature

65-3

5

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

206

142

M

Ripening

65-3

6

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

NA

NA

F

Spent

65-3

7

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

194

110

F

Spent

65-3

8

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

194

112

F

Spent

65-3

10

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

192

104

M

NA

65-3

11

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

199

116

F

NA

65-3

12

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

178

86

F

NA

65-3

17

1

35.90

72.85

1-Apr

192

104

M

Spent

65-3

18

2

35.55

74.20

4-Apr

198

116

F

Spent

65-3

20

2

35.55

74.20

4-Apr

188

101

F

Spent

65-3

21

2

35.55

74.20

4-Apr

191

99

M

Spent

65-3

42

6

35.53

73.25

6-Apr

224

164

M

Ripe

65-3

43

6

35.53

73.25

6-Apr

198

120

F

Spent

65-3

44

6

35.53

73.25

6-Apr

209

127

M

Ripening

65-3

45

6

35.53

73.25

6-Apr

229

169

F

Spent

65-3

46

6

35.53

73.25

6-Apr

223

162

F

Spent

65-3

47

6

35.53

73.25

6-Apr

209

137

F

Ripening

65-3

48

6

35.53

73.25

6-Apr

199

121

F

Spent

65-3

57

8

35.93

72.53

8-Apr

206

119

M

Running

65-3

63

8

35.93

72.53

8-Apr

200

117

M

Running

65-3

65

8

35.93

72.53

8-Apr

191

114

M

Running

65-3

66

8

35.93

72.53

8-Apr

213

140

M

Running

65-3

67

8

35.93

72.53

8-Apr

214

138

M

Running

65-3

82

9

35.93

72.53

15-Apr

189

105

M

Running

66-2

1

1

38.12

70.92

10-Mar

215

145

M

Inactive

66-2

7

1

38.12

70.92

10-Mar

212

143

M

Inactive

66-2

8

1

38.12

70.92

10-Mar

195

114

NA

NA

66-2

9

1

38.12

70.92

10-Mar

211

129

M

Some milt

66-2

10

1

38.12

70.92

10-Mar

205

128

M

Inactive

66-2

11

1

38.12

70.92

10-Mar

218

144

M

Inactive

66-2

12

1

38.12

70.92

10-Mar

210

133

M

Inactive

66-2

42

4

38.33

65.53

13-Mar

221

145

M

Some milt

66-2

49

4

38.33

65.53

13-Mar

222

154

M

Inactive

66-2

54

6

38.28

62.35

15-Mar

192

104

F

Ripening

66-2

63

6

38.28

62.35

15-Mar

201

120

F

Ripening

66-2

108

9

37.23

65.90

27-Mar

196

116

M

NA

  1. * Fork length (FL) converted to curved FL after Parrack and Phares (1979) for comparison with values in this study

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Goldstein, J., Heppell, S., Cooper, A. et al. Reproductive status and body condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine, 2000–2002. Mar Biol 151, 2063–2075 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-007-0638-8

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