The National Association of Bluefin Tuna Aquaculture (ANATUN) has developed, with the collaboration of Grupo Ricardo Fuentes, an investigation to analyse the presence of skipjack tuna on the coasts of the Region of Murcia in order to ensure its responsible and sustainable fishing, according to sources from Portavoz in a statement.
The increase in temperature in the Mediterranean Sea due to climate change has driven the arrival of new subtropical species to the coasts of the Region, a phenomenon that has been occurring for some years and which has led to the appearance of specimens of skipjack tuna (‘Katsuwonus pelamis’) – a tuna that resides mainly in Atlantic waters – in the bay of Mazarrón.
«Until now there has been no strategy for this species, as its presence in our waters is considered occasional. Moreover, it is a fish that does not allow satellite tagging, which makes it difficult to study its migratory routes,» explained Antonio Belmonte, technical-scientific advisor to the Ricardo Fuentes Group.
Belmonte added that, for this reason, «it is necessary to investigate their presence and inform both the Public Administrations and fishermen about their appearance, in order to regulate their population and carry out responsible and sustainable fishing management».
TRAINING FOR FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATIONS
The project, which is still in progress, has launched various training actions with the aim of warning of their appearance in the region and compiling as much data as possible. To this end, the researchers have produced information posters which have been displayed in the fishermen’s guilds of Mazarrón, Águilas and Cartagena.
They have also created technical sheets to give to both professional and recreational fishermen, explaining the morphological characteristics of the species to facilitate its identification. Specifically, these leaflets include information on the location of the point of capture, date, weight, number of specimens, name of the boat and contact telephone number.
MONITORING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGION’S COASTLINE
During the study period, and in order to obtain a climatological characterisation of the area, the inspectors monitored the temperature variations occurring on the coast of the Region, a direct consequence of global warming and the appearance of skipjack tuna.
For this part of the report, the average temperature values recorded by the two oceanographic buoys that the Ricardo Fuentes Group has located in Cartagena and San Pedro del Pinatar have been taken into account. In addition, different anchored equipment has been used for areas between 20 and 25 metres deep in Águilas and Mazarrón.
This research is supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (FEMP) and the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, as well as with the collaboration of the Local Action Group for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Galpemur).