GROWTH OF BLUEFIN TUNA 



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379 



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700 

 600 



500 

 450 

 400 

 350 

 300 

 250 



100 0- 



AGE-YEARS 



Fir IRE 17. — Estimated growth curve for bluetin tuna 

 (heavy broken line), with points derived from length 

 frequencies for ages 0-IV years and from counts of annuli 

 for older ages. Lighter broken lines, fitted by inspection, 

 show estimated limits of variation. 



Table 7. — Estimated sizes of bluefin tuna during the 

 summer for ages 0-10 years 



From figure 17 



Our growth data for fisli up to 10 years of age 

 are in good agreement with tliose of -Selhi (1929) 

 for Mediterranean bhiefiu tuna. Our few reaihiigs 

 for older ages indicated somewhat larger sizes 

 for western Atlantic fish for the respective ages. 

 Bella's work was based on a larger sample than 

 ours, and he used special instruments which we 

 did not have. Therefore tliis apparent difference 

 may result from less complete sampling and 

 less precise reading of annuli for the western 



Atlantic bhiefin, rather than to an actual differ- 

 ence in the growth of the larger fish from the 

 respective areas. 



LITERATURE CITED 



AiKAWA, HiROAKi, and M. Kato. 



1938. Age determination of fish (Preliminary Rept. 

 1). Bull. Japanese Society Scientific Fisheries, 

 vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 79-88. Translation from the 

 Japanese by W. G. Van Campen in U.S. Depart- 

 ment of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 

 Special Scientific Report — -Fisheries No. 21. 



Arnold, Edgar L., Jr. 



'1951. An impression method for preparing fish 

 scales for age and growth analysis. U.S. Depart- 

 ment of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 

 Progressive Fish Culturist, vol. 13, pp. 11-16. 



BuLLis, Harvey R., Jr., and F. J. Mather, III. 



1956. Tunas of the genus Thunnus of the northern 

 Caribbean. American Museum Novitates, No. 

 1765, pp. 1-12. 



Conseil International pour l'Exploration ue la Mer. 

 1933. Conference d'experts pour I'examen des 

 m^thodes scientifiques et techniques k appliquer 

 k r^tude des poissons de la famille des thonid^s. 

 Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la 

 Mer, Rapports et Procfes-Verbaux, vol. 84, pp . 

 91-103. 



Galtsoff, Paul S. 



1952. Staining of growth rings in the vertebrae of 

 tuna {Thunnus thynnus). Copeia, No. 2, pp. 

 103-105. 



Moore, Harvey L. 



1951. Estimation of age and growth of yellowfin 

 tuna {Ne.othunnus macroplerus) in Hawaiian 

 waters by size frequencies. U.S. Department of 

 the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Fishery 

 Bulletin, No. 65, vol. 52, pp. 133-149. 



Partlo, J. M. 



1955. Distribution, age and growth of eastern 

 Pacific albacore {Thunnus alalunga Gmelin). 

 Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of 

 Canada, vol. 12, pp. 35-60. 



Postel, E. 



1954. La croissance du thon d nageoires jaunes 

 Neothunnus albacoia (Lowe) dans I'Atlantique 

 tropical. Bulletin de la Soci6t6 Zoologique de 

 France, vol. 79, No. 2-3, pp. 85-90. 



Rivas. Luis Rene. 



1954. .\ preliminary report on the spawning of the 

 western North Atlantic bluefin tuna {Thunnus 

 thynnus) in the Straits of Florida. Bulletin of 

 Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean, vol. 

 4, pp. 302-322. 



Sella, Massimo. 



1929. Migrazioni c habitat del tonno {Thunnus 

 thynnus L.) studiati col metodo degli ami, con 

 osservazioni su I'accrescimento, sul regime delle 

 tonnare ecc. R. Coinitato Talassografico Italiano. 



