Spawning area of the tropical Skipjack Tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis (Scombridae), in the western Mediterranean Sea |
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Miguel Angel Puerto, Samar Saber, José María Ortiz de Urbina, María José Gómez-Vives, Salvador García-Barcelona, David Macías |
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Skipjack
is an important commercial species with a tropical distribution,
although captures in the Mediterranean Sea have been recorded for
decades. The western Mediterranean Sea, specifically the Balearic Sea,
is a spawning area for several tuna species. We hypothesized that the
western Mediterranean warming in the last few decades could lead to the
expansion of skipjack tuna spawning areas from tropical areas to the
Mediterranean Sea. We analysed 454 individuals (41.8-81 cm straight fork
length) caught by sport fishing vessels in offshore trolling
championships in Spanish Mediterranean waters during summer months from
2014 to 2019. Analysis of the gonadosomatic index and microscopic
examination of the ovaries (n=192) showed that the skipjack is
reproductively active in the western Mediterranean, particularly in the
Balearic Sea. These results indicate that the skipjack has expanded its
distribution and spawning area from tropical waters to the
Mediterranean, probably owing to the gradual warming detected in the
area in the last few decades. This new spawning activity in the area
should be monitored in the near future to study the possible impact on
other tuna species that share the distribution range and spawning area
with skipjack tuna in the western Mediterranean. |
Keywords: Skipjack; reproductive biology; spawning season; sexual maturity; gonadosomatic index; Mediterranean |
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