Bluefin tuna

In August 2006 Blue Water Marine Research (NZ) partnered with TOPP to satellite tag the first Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) from a rapidly growing recreational fishery off the west coast of the South Island.

There are three species of bluefin tuna (2 Indo-Pacific and 1 Atlantic Ocean), with those from the Atlantic Ocean so heavily over-fished they have been considered for listing as threatened or endangered species.  Pacific stocks are also heavily exploited, but their status is not well understood. 

Genetic sampling has revealed New Zealand to be the first place in the world where all three species of tuna have been found simultaneously, which could have significant implications for conservation and management in both the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific species.  In 2008 we initiated a plan to tag an additional 16-20 Pacific bluefin with PATs (pop-off archive tags) which will provide important information on movement and migration.

Tracks of Pacific bluefin tuna from PAT tagging

(TOPP, Ministry of Fisheries, Blue Water Marine Research and the National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries (Japan) contributed to data represented in this map.)

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