Environmental Science
7 years ago

Study reveals impact of purse-seine fishing on juvenile tuna populations

PLoS ONE
Revisiting the vulnerability of juvenile bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin (T. albacares) tuna caught by purse-seine fisheries while associating with surface waters and floating objects
Joe Scutt Phillips, Graham M. Pilling, Bruno Leroy, Karen Evans, Thomas Usu, Chi Hin Lam, Kurt M. Schaefer, Simon Nicol

Paper Summary

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Juvenile bigeye and yellowfin tuna caught by purse-seine fisheries near floating objects are a concern for sustainable fishing. Researchers studied the behavior of tagged tuna to understand how they interact with these objects. They found that tuna mostly stay near the surface for short periods, with longer associations seen in yellowfin in certain areas. Tuna were not usually found near the surface just before being caught. To improve fishing practices, limiting the number of sets made on floating objects could help reduce bycatch of young tuna.