Bluefin Tuna Research Program

The Bluefin Tuna Research Program provides financial assistance for projects which seek to increase and improve the working relationship between fisheries researchers from NOAA Fisheries, state fishery agencies, universities, and other research institutions, and U.S. fishery interests (recreational and commercial) focusing on northern bluefin tuna in the Atlantic Ocean.

The program is a means of advancing research objectives to address the information needs to improve the science-based fisheries management for Atlantic bluefin tuna. This program addresses NOAA's mission goal to "Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management."

The objective of the program is to provide a basis for advancing science-based fisheries management for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Such advancement will depend upon improvements in understanding of the fisheries, total abundance, and biology of bluefin tuna, especially regarding the effects of mixing and movement between the eastern and western Atlantic populations. Contracting Parties to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), of which the U.S. is one, and other partners have embarked upon a multi-year research program on bluefin tuna as a step toward improving ICCAT's science-based management of Bluefin fisheries. Research sponsored under this funding opportunity represents a contribution to this partnership.  Proposals that demonstrate collaborations with the ICCAT Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Research Program and other ICCAT partners are strongly encouraged.

Contracting parties to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, of which the United States is one, and other partners have embarked upon a $25 million research program on bluefin tuna. It is expected to span six years as a step toward improving ICCAT's science-based management approach for fisheries affecting bluefin. Research sponsored under this funding opportunity represents a contribution to this partnership.

Research priorities for this funding opportunity include:

1. Representative sampling of hard and soft tissues and associated analytical techniques for studies of population genomics, stock composition, age composition, growth and total reproductive contribution by size and age.

2. DNA sampling (i.e. finclips, biopsies, or other non-lethal method) of US recreational catch-and-release fisheries, targeting but not limited to young school, school, or large-school size bluefin tuna in support of close-kin mark-recapture and gene-tagging studies.

3. Research to evaluate bluefin tuna spawning areas outside of the Gulf of Mexico, including the Slope Sea.  Targeted research activities might include larval collections; DNA sampling; sampling of stock, length, and age compositions; and studies on reproduction (maturity/fecundity/recruitment).

4. Large-scale electronic and genetic tagging experiments specifically designed to estimate movement rates, abundance, and mortality of the eastern or western stocks.  

5. Historical data (both paper copies or archived biological material) mining to sharpen estimates of catch, catch composition, fishing effort, and spatial aspects of catch.

6. Simulation modeling to evaluate the performance of assessment models and management strategies in light of uncertainties related to stock mixing, indices of abundance (including time-varying catchability), absolute abundance, and life history assumptions. 

7. Developing novel fishery-independent techniques to estimate abundance, mortality or to implement novel management strategies (e.g., using advanced technology, genomics or enhancing coverage through effective multi-institution partnerships).

8. Integration of satellite remote sensing, oceanographic modeling and other multidisciplinary scientific products to evaluate environmental effects upon biology (recruitment, mortality, movement, etc) or fishery operations.