Size and age at sexual maturity of female bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L. 1758) from the Mediterranean Sea

By A. Corriero, S. Karakulak, N. Santamaria, M. Deflorio, D. Spedicato, P. Addis, S. Desantis, F. Cirillo, A. Fenech-Farrugia, R. Vassallo-Agius and 5 more. 2005

112 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Summary The ovaries of 501 female eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus Linnaeus, 1758) captured in the Mediterranean Sea from May to September between 1998 and 2004 were analysed histologically. Body size at median sexual maturity (L50) was 103.6 cm fork length (FL), while 100% maturity was reached above 135 cm FL. The age analysis, based on the count of the translucent zones of the first spiniform ray of the first dorsal fin, showed that most of the specimens with FL ¼ L50 were 3 years old while 100% maturity was reached between 4 to 5 years. The reported evidence indicates that for the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna stock, the size and age of first sexual maturity of females was lower than in the western Atlantic stock.

Subfields: Aquatic Science, Global and Planetary Change, Nature and Landscape Conservation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d8c3ad29243c01bd43cd882eda7f159bd6afe154

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Aquatic Science

1. C. Mylonas
2. Y. Zohar
3. E. Mañanós
4. Richard T. Kraus
5. H. Dewar
6. D. Secor
7. C. Fauvel
8. Enric Massuti

In Global and Planetary Change

1. D. Secor
2. B. Block
3. Richard T. Kraus
4. H. Dewar
5. E. Prince
6. J. Rooker
7. A. Corriero
8. E. Rodríguez-Marín

In Nature and Landscape Conservation

1. B. Block
2. C. Mylonas
3. H. Dewar
4. D. Secor
5. Y. Zohar
6. Richard T. Kraus
7. E. Prince
8. J. Rooker

Citations in the corpus

• Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus) Farming and Fattening in the Mediterranean Sea (2010, background): “In the wild, sexual maturity in Atlantic bluefin tuna is achieved at 3–5 years of age in the Eastern Atlantic– Mediterranean Sea stock (Abascal et al., 2004; Corriero et al., 2005).”
• Life History and Stock Structure of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) (2007, result): “Findings from this study were corroborated recently by Corriero et al. (2005).”
• Preparation and Administration of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist (GnRHa) Implants for the Artificial Control of Reproductive Maturation in Captive-Reared Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus) (2007, methodology): “Fork length, wet body weight, and the weight of the gonads were recorded, and the first spiniform ray of the first dorsal fin was removed to determine the age of the fish (Cort, 1991; Corriero et al., 2005).”
• Overview of the conservation status of the marine fishes of the Mediterranean Sea (2011, background): “Females weighing between 270 and 300kg produce as many as 10 million eggs per spawning season (Corriero et al. 2005).”