Advances in electronic tagging (E-TAGS) and genomics offer new insights into understanding the life history of atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) populations in the north atlantic and adjacent seas

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $724,657 cooperative agreement to The Ocean Foundation under the Unallied Science Program (CFDA 11.472) from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023. The award will support research using acoustic and satellite tagging of Atlantic bluefin tuna to map stock-specific spatial-temporal movements at high resolution in the North Atlantic and assign stock-specific mortality estimates. This work will provide new insights into understanding the life history and migratory patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna populations to help address key uncertainties in fisheries management models. The Unallied Science Program aims to fund biological, socio-economic and physical science research that will contribute to the optimal management of fishery and protected resources in the United States.

Despite the rapid advances in research in this field, key questions remain. Knowing the number of populations, their biological parameters, and the spatial boundaries over which ABT fishery populations interact has far-reaching implications for species management and conservation. Current ABT fisheries models are hindered by the lack of consensus on the number of ABT populations, their migratory patterns, and the level of mixing on foraging and spawning grounds. Management models are highly sensitive to assumptions about the spatial mixing of populations, and estimations of survivorship and recruitment. Here, we propose to use acoustic and satellite tagging of ABT to assign stock specific mortality estimates, map stock-specific spatial-temporal movements at high resolution in the north atlantic, a