| Tuna farming and ranching exists on seven continents, in over twenty countries: Algeria, Australia, Bali, Crete, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Libya, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey. (Sylvia, 2008). In 2001, the production of 23,000 tonnes of bluefin tuna accounted for 38% of the total world catch of the Atlantic, Southern and Pacific tuna species (FAO, 2001). One of the major issues with the tuna ranching operations is that they are not producing any fish through hatchery production. The transition from tuna ranching to true aquaculture farming is necessary to achieve and maintain an environmentally and socially sustainable tuna industry.;Severe population declines have occurred in many tuna stocks globally, Bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus (T. obesus) is currently ranked as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list and the ability of the T. obesus populations to withstand current or increased levels of exploitation is questionable. T. obesus and Yellowfin tuna (T. albacares) are the two tuna species being considered for open ocean aquaculture in Hawaii because of the risk of exploitation, high market value and suitable grow out conditions in Hawaii.;This study was designed to examine two broad goals, the first was to characterize the T. obesus fishery and the potential interactions that may occur with tuna aquaculture projects on the Island of Hawai'i and to propose possible options for mitigating negative impacts. The second was to attempt to develop captive populations of tuna on Hawai'i Island for both research and aquaculture purposes.;Fifteen T. albacares in the size range of 1.36 -- 2.18 kg (3-4.8 lbs.), 42-48 cm FL were successfully transported to the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center in Hilo and sixty-seven T. albacares weighing 0.7 -- 4.35 kg (1.54-9.6 lbs.), 38 -- 63 cm FL were caught along the Kona coast from July 10th 2009 to March 10th 2010 and transported to the Pacific planktonics facility using a variety of transporting tanks. Although statistical analysis of the effects of fish size on survival rates were not statistically significant due to confounding factors, we believe that transporting smaller fish and less fish per trip is preferred and minimized overall damage and stress to fish.;The availability of T. albacares during the duration of this project was more consistent than the availability of juvenile T. obesus. The similar physiological and biological requirements of T. albacares suggest it can be used as a model species to help develop procedures for establishing T. obesus broodstock populations in captivity. |
