Tuna Research and Conservation Center

Researchers from the Tuna Research and Conservation Center are exploring how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico might be impacting tuna and other highly migratory species in the region.  Read the stories below to learn more.

New paper in PLoS ONE defines spawning habitat for bluefin tuna in Gulf of Mexico

Fact sheet on spawning bluefin and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

TRCC scientists have been asked to comment about the impacts of the spill by AOL online.

Other relevant publications:

Block, BA, SLH Teo, A Walli, A Boustany, MJW Stokesbury, CJ Farwell, KC Weng, H Dewar & TD Williams. 2005. Electronic tagging and population structure of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. Nature 434: 1121-1127.  Link to Summary, Full Text, or Supplement.

Teo, SLH and BA Block. 2010. Comparative influence of ocean conditions on yellowfin and Atlantic bluefin tuna catch from longlines in the Gulf of Mexico. PLoS ONE 5: e10756. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010756. Link to Press Release, Summary, Full Text, or PDF.

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 152:1105–1119. 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.

Weng, KC, M Stokesbury, A Boustany, A Seitz, S Teo, S Miller, B Block, 2009.  Habitat and behavior of yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares in the Gulf of Mexico determined using pop-up satellite archival tags. Journal of Fish Biology 74, 1434–1449.