1. Undergraduate
Category:
Physical
&
Life
Sciences
Degree
Level:
B.S.
Environmental
Science
Abstract
ID#
594
Abstract
Background
Conclusions
References
Special
thanks
to
Sea
EducaIon
AssociaIon,
the
crew
of
the
SSV
Robert
C.
Seamans,
the
Republic
Of
KiribaI,
the
New
England
Aquarium,
UNESCO
and
the
members
of
expediIon
S-­‐254
for
making
this
research
possible.
Methods
Data
The
distribuIon
and
idenIficaIon
of
larval
tuna
were
studied
in
the
waters
of
the
Phoenix
Islands
Marine
Protected
Area
(PIPA)
from
the
13th
of
July
to
the
6th
of
August
2014.
Tuna
larvae
were
chosen
as
a
study
organism
to
establish
a
baseline
for
populaIon
of
the
PIPA
tuna
fishery
as
the
PIPA
falls
within
the
opImal
tuna
spawning
ranges
of
temperature,
mixed
layer
composiIon,
and
nursery
habitats.
Forty-­‐nine
staIons
were
chosen
to
include
open
ocean,
near
island
(windward
and
leeward),
sub-­‐surface
reef,
as
well
as
seamounts,
encompassing
80
net
samples.
Tuna
larvae
were
found
to
be
concentrated
within
areas
around
seamounts
and
islands
and
all
larvae
were
collected
above
100
meters.
The
most
effecIve
sampling
method
was
determined
to
be
meter
nets
in
the
mixed
layer
above
100m.
Overall,
low
tuna
larvae
counts
were
retrieved,
only
4%
of
all
larval
fish
collected.
However,
the
species
of
larval
tuna
idenIfied
account
for
3
of
the
4
tropical
commercial
species.
The
data
seems
to
support
that
tuna
in
the
PIPA
are
being
overfished.
Nishikawa,
Y
and
Rimmer,
D.
IdenIficaIon
of
Larval
Tunas,
Billfishes
and
other
Scombroid
Fishes
(Suborder
Scombroidei):
an
Illustrated
Guide.
NaIonal
Library
of
Australia
Catologuing
in
publicaIon
Entry,
CSIRO
Marine
Laboratories
Report
No.
186
(1987)
Boehlert,
G.
and
Mundy
B.
VerIcal
and
onshore-­‐offshore
distribuIonal
paeerns
of
tuna
larvae
in
relaIon
to
physical
habitat
features.
Marine
Ecology
Progress
Series,
Vol.
107:
1-­‐13,
1994
Wexler
J.
et
al.
Temperature
and
dissolved
oxygen
requirements
for
survival
of
yellowfin
tuna,
Thunnus
albacares,
larvae,
Jounal
of
Experimental
Marine
Biology
and
Ecology,
404
(2011)
63-­‐72
Block,
B.
and
Stevens,
S.
D.
(2001).
Tuna:
physiology,
ecology,
and
evoluIon.
Academic
Press.:
London,
UK.
Matsumoto
W.
et
al.
On
the
clarificaIon
of
larval
tuna
idenIficaIon
parIcularly
in
the
genus
Thunnus.
Fishery
BulleIn:
vol
70
no.
1
(1972)
Stone,
G.
and
Obura
D.
et
al.
Underwater
Eden
(2013)
The
University
of
Chicago
Press,
Ltd.,
London,
UK
Acknowledgements
The
First
Survey
of
Tuna
Larvae
in
the
Phoenix
Islands
MPA
Michael
S.
Heard-­‐Snow
::
Northeastern
University
Figure
1:
A-­‐C
A:
Coordinate
map
of
Phoenix
Islands
Protected
Area
with
all
sample
sta=ons.
B:
Coordinate
map
with
all
sta=ons
that
had
tuna
larvae.
C:
All
sta=ons
with
larval
fish.
(Sta=ons
with
no
data
are
removed
from
maps
B
&
C)
• Forty
nine
staIons
encompassing
eighty
discreet
net
samples
were
performed
throughout
the
waters
of
the
Phoenix
Islands
Protected
Area.
• Samples
were
taken
daily
on
the
surface
using
a
1m
wide
by
.5m
tall
333μm
Neuston
net.
Subsurface
sampling
was
performed
with
a
MulIple
Opening/Closing
Net
and
Environmental
Sensing
System
(MOCNESS)
as
per
(Wibe
et
al
1976),
and
a
0.785m2,
200
μm
‘meter’
net.
• The
tuna
larvae
idenIfied
account
for
three
of
the
four
main
commercial
tuna
species
in
tropical
waters,
(Skipjack,
Yellow
fin,
and
Albacore)
with
five
species
overall.
• Tuna
larvae
accounted
for
4%
of
total
larval
fish.
Yellow
fin
tuna
were
the
most
populous
at
25%
of
tuna
larvae
and
1.14%
of
total
fish
larvae.
• Meter
net
tows
were
the
most
successful
for
catching
tuna
larvae,
accounIng
for
50%
of
the
total
tuna
catch
but
only
8.7%
of
tows
and
should
account
for
more
tows
in
future
expediIons.
• The
data
seems
to
support
that
the
tuna
fishery
of
the
PIPA
is
being
overfished.
A
B
C
• The
Phoenix
Islands
Marine
Protected
Area
(PIPA)
is
the
world’s
largest
and
deepest
UNESCO
World
Heritage
site,
the
california-­‐
sized
MPA
lies
enIrely
within
the
waters
of
the
small
island
naIon
of
KiribaI.
ConservaIon
scienIst
Gregory
Stone
described
the
PIPA
as
an
“Underwater
Eden”
and
Nat.
Geo
as
“One
of
earths
very
last
prisIne
coral
archipelago
ecosystems.”
• The
Phoenix
Islands
Protected
Area
is
a
historically
important
commercial
tuna
fishery
for
the
KiribaI
naIon;
11%
of
the
naIon’s
EEZ,
averaging
17%
of
the
naIon’s
annual
tuna
catch
up
to
43%
in
prime
years.
• Tuna
represents
an
extremely
important
industry,
pusng
immense
strain
on
tuna
populaIons.
Tuna
catch
from
KiribaI
alone
was
valued
at
approximately
1.3
billion
dollars
in
2012.
• Despite
the
importance
of
the
tuna
in
the
Phoenix
Island
group
there
is
liele
to
no
specific
data
regarding
tuna
in
the
PIPA