A Re-Evaluation of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) Spawning Distribution in the Western Atlantic Ocean

Authors

David E. Richardson, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Katrin E. Marancik, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Malgorzata Adamus, Sea Fisheries Institute, Plankton Sorting and Identification Center
Elizabeth A. Broughton, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Robert K. Cowen, Oregon State University
Trika Gerard, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Christina M. Hernández, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
John J. Hoey, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Joel K. Llopiz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Molly E. Lutcavage, Large Pelagics Research Center
Estrella Malca, University of Miami
Debra L. Palka, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Lourdes Vásquez-Yeomans, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur
Harvey J. Walsh, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
C. Michelle Willis, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Glenn A. Zapfe, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.1016/j.pocean.2026.103687

Publication Title

Progress in Oceanography

Volume

242

Pages

103687

Abstract

There is currently a lack of consensus on the spatial, seasonal and decadal-scale patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) spawning in the western Atlantic Ocean. We compiled ichthyoplankton and reproductive data to characterize bluefin spawning patterns and the uncertainty in these patterns. Ichthyoplankton data indicates that bluefin spawn in the Gulf of America/Gulf of Mexico, northwest Caribbean Sea, north of the Bahamas, along the inshore edge of the Florida Current off the Carolinas and in the western Slope Sea. Reproductive studies identified these same spawning areas, as well as the Windward Passage and waters east of the Bahamas. We used regional sea surface temperature cycles and the distribution of electronically tagged bluefin to identify potentially undocumented spawning areas and times. The northwest Sargasso Sea may also support spawning in June but has not been sampled. Our data is consistent with Atlantic bluefin tuna having a continuous spawning distribution that starts in April in the northwest Caribbean and southern Gulf, progresses through the western Sargasso Sea in June and finishes in early-August in the Slope Sea. The northern Gulf and western Slope Sea are identified as the two most prominent spawning locations across this distribution and spawning in the Sargasso Sea needs to be further evaluated. We could not resolve decadal-scale changes in spawning distribution or timing, but an earlier seasonal timing of optimum temperatures for spawning is evident in all areas. Future work to understand bluefin population structure and migrations will benefit from the data compiled during this study.

Rights

© 2026 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "The ichthyoplankton and longline data associated with this paper is available at: Richardson, David (2026), “Data for: A re-evaluation of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) spawning distribution in the western Atlantic Ocean”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/nzrkmtxmwc.1"

Original Publication Citation

Richardson, D. E., Marancik, K. E., Adamus, M., Broughton, E. A., Cowen, R. K., Gerard, T., Hernández, C. M., Hoey, J. J., Llopiz, J. K., Lutcavage, M. E., Malca, E., Palka, D. L., Vásquez-Yeomans, L., Walsh, H. J., Willis, C. M., & Zapfe, G. A. (2026). A re-evaluation of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) spawning distribution in the western Atlantic Ocean. Progress in Oceanography, 242, Article 103687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2026.103687

Repository Citation

Richardson, David E.; Marancik, Katrin E.; Adamus, Malgorzata; Broughton, Elizabeth A.; Cowen, Robert K.; Gerard, Trika; Hernández, Christina M.; Hoey, John J.; Llopiz, Joel K.; Lutcavage, Molly E.; Malca, Estrella; Palka, Debra L.; Vásquez-Yeomans, Lourdes; Walsh, Harvey J.; Willis, C. Michelle; and Zapfe, Glenn A., "A Re-Evaluation of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) Spawning Distribution in the Western Atlantic Ocean" (2026). Biological Sciences Faculty Publications. 687.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/biology_fac_pubs/687

ORCID

0000-0002-7188-8217 (Hernandez)