Tag a Giant Foundation

Tag-A-Giant Foundation Press
Bluefin Tuna - Past and Present
August 5, 2007

The Census of Marine Life (CoML), a partner and supporter of our electronic tagging research, is helping to spread the word about bluefin tuna migratory patterns and breeding behavior revealed in recent TGF studies. CoML links our results of electronic tagging in Ireland to a once abundant population of bluefin tuna off northern Europe, suggesting that bluefin passed through Irish waters on their way north.  Heavy fishing pressure in the first half of the 20th century led to their rapid demise.  Bluefin have been rare in northern European waters since 1960.

Download the CoML press release to learn more. Or read Dr. Barbara Block's blog on the story.

Visit the CoML page on the story for more information, including photos, videos and details on the historic northern European bluefin tuna population.

Media Coverage

Original Scientific Journal Articles

Teo, SLH, A Boustany, and BA Block. 2007. Oceanographic preferences of Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, on their Gulf of Mexico breeding grounds. Marine Biology DOI 10.1007/s00227-007-0758-1. Link to Summary or Full Text.

Stokesbury, MJW; Cosgrove, R; Boustany, A; Browne, D; Teo, SLH; O’Dor, RK; Block, BA. 2007. Results of satellite tagging of Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, off the coast of Ireland. Hydrobiologia 582:91–97. Link to Summary or Full Text.

Teo S.L.H., Boustany, A. Dewar, H., Stokesbury, M.J.W., Weng, K.C., Beemer, S., Seitz, A.C., Farwell, C.J., Prince, E.D. and B. A. Block. 2007. Annual migrations, diving behavior, and thermal biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, on their Gulf of Mexico breeding grounds. Marine Biology 151:1-18. Link to Summary or Full Text.