A NEW SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY FOR TRACKING THE MOVEMENTS OF ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA

The movements of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus) have captured the interest of scientists and fishers since the time of Aris totle, This tuna is unique among bony fish for maintaining elevated bo dy temperatures (21 degrees C above ambient) and attaining large size (up to 750 kg), We describe here the use of a pop-off satellite tag, f or investigating the Atlantic-wide movements and potential stock overl ap of western and eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna. The tag also archives data on mater temperatures. The objectives of this study were to eval uate the effectiveness of the technology, study the movements of Atlan tic bluefin tuna, examine their thermal niche, and assess survivorship of tagged fish. The pop-off satellite technology provides data indepe ndent of commercial fisheries that, when deployed in sufficient quanti ty, should permit a critical test of the stock structure hypotheses fo r Atlantic bluefin tuna.