Tag-A-Giant Foundation Press Release
Bluefin Tuna - Past and Present
October 2, 2008
Tag-A-Giant Foundation Scientific Advisor Dr. Barbara Block is co-author on a new paper published in the prestigious journal, Science, entitled, "Natal Homing and Connectivity in Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Populations." The paper analyzes the chemical composition of bluefin tuna otoliths, or earbones, to reveal a high level of mixing of Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea-spawned juvenile fish on foraging gounds in the mid-Atlantic. It also shows that fish in northern New England and Canada are nearly entirely of Gulf of Mexico origin, suggesting that these waters may represent critical foraging habitat of the smaller, more vulnerable population that spawns in the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, fish spawning in the Gulf of Mexico are almost entirely from the Gulf, highlighting the importance of recovery and protection efforts for bluefin tuna in these regions.
Download the press release to learn more. Or read Shana Miller's blog on the story.
Visit the Science Express page on the story for more information, including a podcast interview with the lead author.
Media Coverage
- Life: Science News of the Year, 2008, January 3, 2009, Science News
- For Kids: Traveling Tuna, October 22, 2008, by Susan Gaidos, Science News
- Bluefin Boondoggle, October 8, 2008, by Andrew Sharpless, Grist Magazine
- Tuna's just too cheap, October 8, 2008, The Japan Times
- A&M-led team makes bluefin tuna breakthrough, October 3, 2008, The Galveston County Daily News
- Tuna Return To Birthplace To Spawn, October 3, 2008, Red Orbit
- Tuna Imperiled by Its Bicoastal Habits, October 2, 2008, by Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times
- Untangling Tuna Travels - Better Protections Needed?, October 2, 2008, by Tim Wheeler, Baltimore Sun
- Atlantic Tuna Return Thousands Of Miles To Birthplace To Spawn, October 2, 2008, ScienceDaily
- Juvenile Fish From the Gulf and the Mediterranean Mingle in the Atlantic, October 2, 2008, by Eliza Strickland, Discover Magazine
- Young Bluefin Tuna Cross the Atlantic to Mingle, October 2, 2008, USA Today
- Finding Bluefin Nurseries (And What It Means), October 2, 2008, by Ken Peterson, Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Notes
- Researchers Find that Tuna Swim Across the Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Associated Press
- Researchers say tuna swim across the Atlantic; Bluefish tuna from both sides mix as juveniles, October 2, 2008, Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Study: Tuna travel across the Atlantic, October 2, 2008, MSNBC
- Tuna found to travel across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Examiner
- Tuna found to travel across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, International Herald Tribune
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Seattle Post Intelligencer
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Forbes
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Fox News
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Seattle Times
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Houston Chronicle
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, The Oregonian
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Philadelphia Inquirer
- Researchers find that tuna swim across Atlantic, October 2, 2008, Newsweek
- East Coast "Critical" Refuge for Bluefin Tuna: Scientists, October 2, 2008, by Margaret Munro, Canada.com
- Study Reveals Mysteries of Bluefin Tuna Travels, October 2, 2008, ctv.ca
- Study Reveals Mysteries of Bluefin Tuna Travels, October 2, 2008, Toronto Star
- Bicoastal Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, October 2, 2008, by Rachel Ehrenberg, Science News
- Atlantic Tuna Return Thousands of Miles to Birthplace to Spawn, October 2, 2008, EurekAlert
- Scientists Find New Migratory Patterns for Mediterranean and Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, October 2, 2008, EurekAlert
- Giant Tuna Kindergarten Identified in Atlantic, October 2, 2008, by Phil McKenna, New Scientist