Individual assignment of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean using single nucleotide polymorphisms reveals an increasing proportion of migrants from the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

• Main Authors: Puncher, Gregory Neils, Hanke, Alex, Busawon, Dheeraj, Sylvester, Emma, Golet, Walter, Hamilton, Lorraine C, Pavey, Scott A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of Toronto 2021
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/108028; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0336

Identifying the origin of fish contained in a mixed fishery is critical for accurate stock assessments and the subsequent development of appropriate management strategies. Using a panel of 92 SNPs developed to differentiate Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) from the two main spawning areas (Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea), we used individual assignment to determine composition of feeding aggregations in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Maine, Bay of Fundy, Scotian Shelf, Gulf of St. Lawrence, coastal Newfoundland). Among the 3,163 individuals collected between 2004 and 2018, we found that among lower age groups ( The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author.