Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus feeding ecology in the northern Gulf of Mexico: a preliminary description of diet from the western Atlantic spawning grounds

C M Butler; J M Logan; J M Provaznik; E R Hoffmayer; M D Staudinger; J M Quattro; M A Roberts; G W Ingram Jr; A G Pollack; M E Lutcavage

doi:10.1111/jfb.12556

Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus feeding ecology in the northern Gulf of Mexico: a preliminary description of diet from the western Atlantic spawning grounds

J Fish Biol. 2015 Jan;86(1):365-74. doi: 10.1111/jfb.12556. Epub 2014 Nov 24.

Authors

C M Butler¹, J M Logan, J M Provaznik, E R Hoffmayer, M D Staudinger, J M Quattro, M A Roberts, G W Ingram Jr, A G Pollack, M E Lutcavage

Affiliation

¹ Center for Fisheries Research & Development, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, MS, 39564, U.S.A.

PMID: 25418682
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12556

Abstract

A combination of stomach contents, nitrogen stable-isotope and tissue C:N values are presented to demonstrate feeding activity of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus on the Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX) spawning grounds. Diets include teleosts, cephalopods, crustaceans and a pelagic tunicate (Pyrosoma atlanticum). Results reveal the need to classify the GOMEX as a T. thynnus feeding ground.

Keywords: Pyrosoma atlanticum; food web; lipids; stable isotopes; trophic ecology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Diet*
Feeding Behavior*
Gastrointestinal Contents
Gulf of Mexico
Nitrogen Isotopes / analysis
Tuna / physiology*

Substances

Nitrogen Isotopes